PNC leaders extend olive branch

The People’s National Convention (PNC) will hold its national congress on November 25, 2011 to elect new national executive to man the party for the next four years.
It has however, extended an olive branch to all its members who are challenging the eligibility of the current executive in court and also urged those who have been occupying the party’s offices to vacate and “apologise to the law abiding rank and file of the party, because the party believes that the courts are the place to settle inter party disputes”.
All constituency elections would be held between May and July while the all regional elections would be held within August. They have not fixed charges for nominations.
Members of the embattled national executive committee (NEC) who are in a legal tussle with some members, who call themselves an Interim Management Committee (IMC), led by Dr Sontim Tobiga challenging the NEC’s eligibility to hold themselves as such
This was after the NEC had broken into the party’s national headquarters at Abavana Junction in Accra which had been under lock and key of the IMC over the last two months to old a press conference there.
The breaking in and changing of the locks by the NEC, led by Dr Edward Mahama who is the leader of the party, was under the supervision of Detective Sergeant Henry Nettey from the Maamobi Police Station.
The supervision of the entry by the police became necessary because the occupancy was part of the case pending before the law court. All the national executive members had earlier in the day held its meeting at the Kingsby Hotel at Achimota and after that drove to the locked headquarters to break and change the locks.
Addressing the press at the headquarters, which was attended by all regional executives, Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan, National Chairman, Bernard Mornah, General Secretray, Dr Mahama said while he had accepted his share of responsibility for the problems facing the PNC, other leading members should as well accept their role in the party’s difficulties.
Reacting to claims by the IMC that it was illegal for Dr Mahama contest as the flag bearer for more that two consecutive times, Dr Mahama said it their claims were to be true, the Electoral Commission (EC) which had a copy of the PNC would not have supervised the party congress that elected him and also accept his nomination.
He said for those other party members who were anxious to occupy party positions, they should bid their time, respect the party’s constitution and structures and offer themselves when nominations opened.
On March 11, 2011, the Accra Fast Track High Court quashed the decision of the Adjabeng District Magistrate’s Court which had remanded three executives IMC into police custody.
According to the High Court, it was wrong in law for the district court to revoke a bail it (district court) had earlier granted to the accused persons because it had no jurisdiction to do so.
The lower court had, on February 24, 2011, remanded Baba G. Seidu and Ahmed Gado who had appeared before it on the grounds that they had flouted the court's order.
On March 3, 2011, it declined to renew its orders that revoked the bail granted to the accused persons and, accordingly, remanded a third accused person, Dr Somtim Tobiga, who was absent on February 24, after revoking his bail.
On February 24, 2011, the presiding District Magistrate, Mrs Faustina Mary Addington, after revoking their bail, had further ordered the agents, assigns and workmen of the accused persons to vacate the premises until the final determination of the case.