VICTORY IS BIG CHALLENGE — BERNARD MORNARH (Page 14)

Story: Benjamin Xormam Glover, Bolgatanga


THE General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Mr Bernard A. Mornarh, has described his victory in last Saturday’s national delegates congress as a huge challenge imposed on him by the delegates and supporters of the party.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic moments after he was declared the winner in the race with two others, Mr Mornarh said, “I have contributed my quota as a National Youth Organiser of the party and the people have seen the work that I have done and entrusted to me a bigger responsibility to do better for them”.
"I have no option and I can not do otherwise than to prove to the people that I have accepted the challenge given me. I will work assiduously to ensure the success of the PNC”, he added  
Mr Mornarh who succeeded Mr Gabriel Pwamang as the General Secretary of the party polled 691 votes as against 154 votes obtained by Dr Somtim Tobiga and 106 votes by Mr Santuah Niagia. In all 24 ballots were rejected.
He said though the challenges ahead were very daunting he was committed and prepared to serve the party in humility and would be guided by the experience he had acquired over the years.
“I am ready to work to prove to the supporters that they did not just elect a youthful person, an individual who not only can mingle with the elderly but someone who can attract the support of the women and the youth in the country”.
“I will serve as an inspiration for all the young people of Ghana,” he added.
He expressed the hope that with the successful holding of the congress, all the wrangling and intra party fighting will cease to give the new team the needed support to work for the victory of the party.
“Congress is the ultimate decision making body and congress has this day taken a decision. No individual, no powers are absolute or come nearer to the decision of congress.
Therefore there should be no acrimony or rancour. The PNC is bigger than any individual”, he stressed.
Mr Mornarh said the PNC had arrived to do battle in the next general election.
“We are by this successful congress sending a signal to the elephant that its time is due. We are happy that President Kufuor is no more part of the contest, but we are encouraging all of them to begin parking and write down their handing over notes to hand over to the PNC, because the tsunami that will hit them will be far greater.
The wave that the PNC is bringing about is very thunderous and will sweep the elephant to the bush perpetually”, the new scribe of the party said.
On the unity of the Nkrumaist parties, Mr Mornarh said the PNC was still available and willing to join forces with the CPP to fight a common cause.
“ What is left is for the CPP to conclude its part of the bargain as contained in the memorandum that was signed in 2005. We in the PNC are willing to go into election 2008 jointly with the CPP and I hope this challenge will be accepted courageously because the people of Ghana are anxiously waiting for an Nkrumaist government and we can not disappoint them”.
“The MOU says that the name “CPP” be accepted and the coconut should become the symbol of the amalgamated party and the motto “Forward Ever with Honest Service”. These are the things that we agreed on in 2005, ” Mr Mornarh said.

PNC CHAIRMAN VOWS TO IMPROVE PARTY'S LOT

Daily Graphic Wednesday December 5, 2007. Page 17

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover & Samuel Abaane, Bolgatanga

THE newly elected National Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan, has pledged to work assiduously to increase the fortunes of the party in the 2008 general election by strengthening its organisational structures at the various polling stations.  
“I will ensure that at every polling station, the party has foot soldiers and I will task each foot soldier to be at the centre of organisation of the polling station to stem vote rigging,” he said.
Alhaji Ramadan made the pledge at the weekend in Bolgatanga in an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic during the PNC’s fifth National Annual Delegates Congress.
He polled 495 votes as against the 217 polled by his challenger, Dr Edward N. Gyader.  
The organisation of the congress was initially engulfed in internal legal wranglings between the outgoing first National Vice Chairman of the PNC, Mr John Ndebugre, and some leading members of the party. About 1,260 delegates attended the congress from the 230 constituencies, the 10 regions and the National Executive Committee (NEC).          
All the Members of Parliament (MPs) of the party also attended the congress except the MP for Zebilla, Mr John Ndebugre. The MPs were Mr David Apasera, Bolgatanga Central, Mr Moses Dani Baah, Sissala East and Mr Bayiriga Haruna, Sissala West.  
The national chairman said he would give logistics and financial support to the foot soldiers in order to enhance the fortunes of the PNC in the 2008 elections in a manner that would be unprecedented in the party’s history.
“I would also give the PNC relationship with the other Nkrumaists parties serious attention so that we can mutually accommodate each other. This will avoid suspicion and acrimony among us, the Nkrumaists,” Alhaji Ramandan said.
Alhaji Ramadan served notice to the other parties that the only party to beat in 2008 was the PNC.  
The chairman said disunity and confusion among the rank and file of the party was the main obstacle that had hindered the progress of the party and gave a pledge to unite the membership through consensus building, dialogue and mediation any time a problem arose.  
He called on the party’s functionaries and supporters to shun legal wranglings when there was any misunderstanding within the party’s hierarchy.  
 “I would team up with other members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to ensure that no member dragged other members to court,” Alhaji Ramadan emphasised.
Alhaji Ramadan , however, called on members of the NEC to build a healthy working relationship with supporters of the PNC to foster unity, peace and tranquillity in it.  
He appealed to the losing candidates to fulfil their promise to support the party’s flag-bearer and the NEC to increase their fortunes in the 2008 general election by liaising with them any time there was a problem.
He urged all the Nkrumaist parties to avoid rancour, acrimony and bickering, since they all believed in the same principles and ideology.

IT'S NO. 4 FOR MAHAMA ...But Ndebugre slams the election

Daily Graphic Monday, December 3, 2007 Front Page

Story: Benjamin Glover & Samuel Abaane, Bolga

THREE-TIME People’s National Convention (PNC) presidential candidate, Dr Edward Mahama, was last Saturday given yet another mandate to contest the 2008 presidential election on the ticket of the party.At the party’s national delegates congress held at the Catering Rest House in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, the medical practitioner polled 534 votes to beat his only challenger, Professor Yakubu Saaka, who had 400 votes. Thirty-six of the ballots were rejected.But Mr John Ndebugre, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Zebilla and National Vice-Chairman of the PNC, has slammed the election, describing it as a sham,reports Mary Mensah.He said he did not recognise the forum in Bolga where the “so-called elections were held because it was not a duly constituted congress”.Mr Ndebugre told the Graphic yesterday that he was elected First National Vice-Chairman alongside other executives on May 29, 2004, to hold office for four years, adding that “so obviously for anybody to hold a congress to elect people to replace us is contrary to the provisions of the party’s constitution”.Explaining his position further, Mr Ndebugre said, Dr Edward Mahama was barred by the party’s constitution from contesting for the fourth time on the party’s ticket and “for all these reasons among others some party members are in court against Dr Mahama and other members of the party concerning the holding of the so called congress”. He stated that Dr Mahama and the other officers were aware of the court proceedings and yet went ahead to hold the congress in absolute contempt of the Court of Appeal and the High Court.“In any case genuine party members and I do not recognised what happened yesterday, therefore neither Dr Mahama nor any of the persons who were purportedly elected to various offices should expect any co-operation from me or any other genuine member of the party,” he concluded. In the election for national officers, Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan polled 495 votes, against the 252 obtained by Mr Thomas Akun Yong, to become the National Chairman of the party. Dr E.N. Gyader placed third with 217 votes, while 16 votes were rejected. The former Youth Organiser, Mr Bernard A. Mornarh, succeeded Mr Gabriel Pwamang as the new General Secretary of the party. He polled 691 votes, against the 154 obtained by Dr Somtim Tobiga and 106 by Mr Santuah Niagia. Twenty-four ballots were rejected. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga Central, Mr David Apasera, polled 660 votes to become the National Treasurer of the party. His only challenger, Mr David Nibi, had 264 votes, while 58 ballots were rejected. Mr Bayiriga Haruna won the position of National Organiser with 362 votes to defeat Messrs Abubakari Kwashie Ebla and Godly Baba Ali, who had 318 and 250 votes, respectively with 31 of the ballots being rejected. Hajia Ajara Ali received 634 votes to become the Women’s Organiser of the party, while her challenger, Patricia Kanji, managed 291 votes, with 55 ballots being rejected. Mr Emmanuel Wilson was elected the new National Youth Organiser of the PNC. He polled 710 votes, against the 215 obtained by Mr Iddrisu Andani Mu-azu. Forty-three ballots were rejected. The contest for the post of Vice Chairman was deferred as the party failed to secure the required number of aspirants. At the close of nomination, only two persons, namely, Messrs Gabriel Pwamang and Alhaji Abdul Moomen, had filed. Party officials told newsmen that three persons were needed to vie for the post. Dr Mahama, in a post-victory speech, said the success of the congress signified a brighter future for the party. “The party has been traumatised by self-inflicted wounds, but I can say that with this congress and elections, we have healed the wounds and can look forward to a more vibrant, more potent and politically mature party that will be ready to take over the reins of government of this nation,” the renowned gynaecologist said. With his wife, Comfort, firmly standing by him on the stage and applauding him, Dr Mahama said despite the numerous court suits, the PNC had behaved like a true democratic party and that had gone a long way to deepen democracy, not only in the party but also the country as a whole. Dr Mahama, who congratulated the staff of the Electoral Commission (EC) on conducting the polls efficiently, despite the short notice, and security personnel on maintaining the peace, also commended the media for providing the party with what he termed “unprecedented publicity before and during the congress”. “Our opponents are not the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) but sometimes the media, who misrepresent us. But I can say that in this election year, so far the coverage has been more than perfect and if they continue like that, the good people of Ghana will see the programmes and policies of the PNC and give us the mandate, come December 2008,” he said. For his part, Professor Saaka conceded defeat and congratulated Dr Mahama on his victory“I came into this election believing very seriously that I will win. But in a competition somebody wins and somebody loses,” the former minister in the Limann administration stated. He, however, pledged his commitment and readiness to work with the winning candidate and the party to ensure electoral victory in the 2008 general election. The polls started at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and ended at about 1.00 a.m. on Sunday but that did not deter supporters who had braved the entire process and had become tired and weary into bursting into wild jubilation after the results had been released by the EC at 2:30 a.m. Earlier, members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) had engaged in a marathon session to deliberate on the way forward for the party. Everything was done in an atmosphere of mutual respect, love and unity, as winners and losers joyfully embraced one another for a contest which was described as having been well fought. The election was supervised by a team of officials from the EC, led by its Upper East Regional Director, Mr Adam Iddrisu Mahama.