A former flagbearer hopeful of the People’s National Convention, Samson Asaki Awingobit has said the party has not treated its General Secretary fairly by its decision to suspend her indefinitely.
The party explained in a statement issued by National Chairman Moses Dani Baah on Saturday, 28 August 2021, that the indefinitely suspended Janet Asana Nabla was for “gross misconduct, incompetence and insubordination”.
It was taken at a National Executive Committee meeting held at the GNAT Hall in Accra.
The statement noted: “The National Executive Committee, in considering and adopting a report submitted by the Disciplinary Committee of the party, unanimously took the decision to suspend the General Secretary to rid the party of indiscipline, to save itself from her persistent vile accusations and disrespect for the leadership of the party, which has undoubtedly cast the PNC in bad light”.
The statement said a petition was put before the Disciplinary Committee of the party calling for the General Secretary to answer for her conduct and stewardship but “unfortunately, she snubbed the Committee by refusing to appear before the Disciplinary Committee despite several attempts by the Committee to get her to turn up”.
“Following from this, the Committee presented its report to NEC for consideration, which recommends an indefinite suspension of Madam Janet Nabla and it was unanimously endorsed by NEC in accordance with Article 57 (7) of the party constitution”.
The party said, “though a painful decision, the NEC of the PNC deem it appropriate to adopt this decision to protect the image of the party in the midst of all the negative press surrounding the party emanating from the conduct of the former General Secretary Madam Janet Nabla”.
“By this statement, the PNC implores the media, its supporters and sympathisers, civil society organisations, state agencies, diplomatic institutions and the general Ghanaian public to desist from holding or according to her any courtesies as General Secretary of the PNC or do so at their own risk”.
However, Mr Awingobit, in a separate statement, said the party has not gone about the issue the right way.
“Inasmuch as I recognise that NEC has the mandate to take decisions that would best serve the interest of the party, the PNC is a party that is governed by laws and thus any decision must be in tandem with the party’s constitution”, he noted.
“Per the PNC’s constitution, a meeting by NEC to suspend an officer of the party requires the attendance of more than half of regional chairmen of the party; failure to do so implies that a quorum would not be formed per the dictates of the constitution”, Mr Awingobit added.
He revealed: “I am reliably informed that only seven regional chairmen attended the August 28 meeting in Accra. It is, therefore, surprising that NEC could take such a decision, which is a clear breach of the constitution”.
With the benefit of hindsight, he “urged the party hierarchy to do the right thing by reversing NEC’s decision because it is unconstitutional and does not carve a better image for the party”.
“I strongly believe that the General Secretary has not been fairly treated. I, therefore, encourage her to seek redress at the appropriate quarters, including taking legal action if the decision is not urgently reversed”, he said.
STATEMENT BY ASAKI SAMSON AWINGOBIT, A FORMER PNC FLAGBEARER HOPEFUL ON PRESSING ISSUES WITHIN THE PNC
It is with a heavy heart that I wish to put across my concerns about the distasteful internal wrangling that has bedevilled the People’s National Convention (PNC) over the period – an issue that has persistently undermined the progress of the party.
I am not enthused about discussing party issues in public and that has never been my style. Nonetheless, I am compelled to adopt this approach in the wake of the seeming breakdown of structures in the party, fuelled by disunity and divisiveness among the party hierarchy.
Although I have remained silent on all the issues that have emerged in party after the 2020 elections in interest of protecting the image of the party, the latest decision by the National Executive Committee to suspend the General Secretary of the party without recourse to proper procedures cannot be overlooked as it has far-reaching implications on the integrity of the party.
Inasmuch as I recognise that NEC has the mandate to take decisions that would best serve the interest of the party, the PNC is a party that is governed by laws and thus any decision must be in tandem with the party’s constitution.
Per the PNC’s constitution, a meeting by NEC to suspend an officer of the party requires the attendance of more than half of regional chairmen of the party; failure to do so implies that a quorum would not be formed per the dictates of the constitution.
I am reliably informed that only seven regional chairmen attended the August 28 meeting in Accra. It is, therefore, surprising that NEC could take such a decision, which is a clear breach of the constitution.
With the benefit of hindsight, I urge the party hierarchy to do the right thing by reversing NEC’s decision because it is unconstitutional and does not carve a better image for the party.
I strongly believe that the General Secretary has not been fairly treated. I, therefore, encourage her to seek redress at the appropriate quarters, including taking legal action if the decision is not urgently reversed.
As a concerned member of the party and a former flagbearer hopeful, I am saddened that nearly nine months after the elections, there has not been a concerted effort by the party to do a thorough analysis of what led to our abysmal performance in election 2020 and re-strategise ahead of 2024.
I am also worried that the PNC leadership has gone into hibernation such that there has not been a single collective party decision on any issue of national interest since election 2020. This is unacceptable. If the PNC can recapture the hearts of the good people of Ghana, then we must demonstrate seriousness in all our dealings and not be seen as playing second fiddle to any political party.
The party at this stage needs urgent re-organisation and an early congress would surely be of great benefit to the party.
Long Live Ghana, Long Live PNC!
Issued by: Asaki Samson Awingobit (Former PNC flagbearer hopeful)
Contact: 0243575046