JOHN NDEBUGRE JOINS NPP (PAGE 14)

Mr John Akparibo Ndebugre, an independent parliamentary candidate for Zebilla Constituency in the Upper East Region in the 2008 election, has joined the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to Mr Ndebugre, the national executive of the People’s National Convention (PNC), his former party, have failed to organise the party in conformity with the ideology of the founding fathers of the party, as well as the constitutional requirement for the formation of political parties, which demands that each political party has to practise internal democracy.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Ndebugre said he was reading the statement on behalf of the executives of the 30 wards and 100 polling stations for the 2004 and 2008 elections.
He said it was for the practice of internal democracy, provision of information on party’s ideology and to sponsor candidates for elections that the late Dr Hilla Liman formed the PNC. However, these ideologies had been abandoned by people “who have imposed themselves as national executive on the people”.
He said the unconstitutional actions of the “so-called national executive” resulted in the abysmal results of the party during the last two elections.
Mr Ndebugre added that the national executive committee that was elected in May 2004 was unconstitutionally ousted in December 2007 by people who used illegal means to impose themselves as national executive on the party.
He said the illegal executive members failed to follow the laid down procedure for organising congress because they neglected the rule that demanded that parties held constituency and regional elections prior to the national congress.
He said the national delegates congress which elected the national executive and presidential candidates for the 2008 election did not have the mandate of the members of Zebilla, as well as some other constituency executives in the country.
Mr Ndebugre said the members and executive of Zebilla still considered the national executive of the party who were elected in 2004 as the substantive officers and were the very people who advised him to contest the 2008 elections as an independent parliamentary candidate.
He said after considering the consistent illegal behaviour of the “so-called national executive”, the members and the executive of Zebilla decided that they had to part ways with the party.
He said because they could not stay aloof in the face of the socio-economic and political happenings in the country, they decided to join forces with the NPP.
Mr Ndebugre said the defecting members had had discussions with the executive of the NPP on how to contribute to strengthen the NPP at the constituency to recapture political power in 2012.
Reacting to the defection, a leading member of the PNC, Dr Sontim Tobiga, described the move as “their individual choice which must be respected, because they have the freedom to associate with any political party of their choice at any time.”
He said in recent times Mr Ndebugre had not acted in any way in the interest of the party, including contesting the 2008 elections as an independent candidate at Zebila where the PNC had a parliamentary candidate.
However, the National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Peter Mac Manu, speaking via phone from Norway, where he is attending the national conference of the Conservative Party in Oslo, described the defection as good news and welcomed Mr Ndebugre to the NPP fold.
He said Mr Ndebugri being an experienced politician had come to realise the need to be part of the political party whose values and ideology bordered on respect for the rule of law, fundamental human rights, free speech and special respect for the poor and the vulnerable.