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.