NDEBUGRE TO CONTEST ZEBILLA AS INDEPENDENT (D/G Monday, August 10, 2008, PAGE 16)

THE sitting People’s National Convention (PNC) Member of Parliament for the Zebilla Constituency in the Upper East Region, Mr John Akparibo Ndebugre, has announced his intention to contest the seat as an independent candidate.
The reason for his actions stems from his long-standing disagreements with the leadership of his party.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic on Saturday, Mr Ndebugre, a one-time Upper East Regional Secretary in the PNDC era, accused the party’s flag bearer, Dr Edward Mahama, and said that his activities were negatively affecting the fortunes of the party.
According to him, he had the backing of over 400 ward chairmen and polling agents, who he claimed, were also dissatisfied with the leadership style of Dr Mahama.
He said that they had urged him to go independent and work for the PNC from Parliament to make it a formidable one.
“We cannot pretend that the party is intact when, in fact, he is doing what he wants and all efforts to get him to straighten out things have failed,” he said
Asked whether his decision to stand as an independent candidate would not affect the fortunes of the party, the one-time National Executive Member of the PNC conceded that his intention would affect the party, but insisted that “it is sometimes better to take two steps backwards and one leap forward”.
A meeting held at his private residence last week, Thursday and Friday, with his constituency ward executive members and polling agents at Zebilla unanimously adopted a resolution that the MP should contest as an independent parliamentary candidate.
Mr Ndebugre, who willingly accepted the decision, gave the assurance that he still remained a member of the PNC, and insisted that “he is indeed the legitimate 1st National Vice-Chairman of the party”.
He also assured his enthusiastic supporters that with their support, he hoped to return to Parliament in 2009, to reorganise the party and develop the Bawku West District Assembly.
He said during his term as an MP, he had made education, health and infrastructure his priority and disbursed all his share of the District Assembly Common Fund in those sectors of the economy.
When contacted, the Regional Secretary of the PNC, Mr Henry Fachu, stressed that the Regional Executive of the party was yet to receive an official communication regarding Mr Ndebugre’s intention to run as an independent candidate.
Mr Fachu insisted that the party had all it took to retain the seat, and assured all party faithful in the constituency to rally behind the party for victory in the forthcoming elections.
A former Regional Minister, Cletus Avoka of the NDC, and the former District Chief Executive, Mr Moses Abaare Appiah of the NPP, are all preparing to wrest the seat from its present occupant, Lawyer John Ndebugre.