PNC flag bearer aspirant picks nomination forms

Accra, Oct. 10, GNA - Professor Yakubu Saaka, a deputy minister of foreign affairs in the administration of the late Dr Hilla Limann, on Wednesday picked nomination forms of the People's National Convention (PNC) to contest the party's primaries for flag bearer for Election 2008.

Prof. Saaka, the only known member of the party to have publicly declared his intention to contest for the slot, threw a challenge to other leading members to contest him for the slot. "I believe in healthy competition, but so far am the only known aspirant. Others should come in to make the campaign vibrant and interesting but if they fail the better," Prof. Saaka said. The PNC becomes the fourth political party to open nominations after the main opposition National Democratic Congress elected its flag bearer in December last year.

The ruling New Patriotic Party opened nominations on September 22 with a rush for nomination forms and the Convention People's Party also opened nominations on October 8.

According to Mr Gabriel Pwamang, PNC General Secretary, who handed over the nominations forms to the aspirant, each form was to be endorsed by 148 card bearing members of the party, at least five each from two-thirds of the 230 Constituencies. The party has also fixed nomination fees for flag bearer aspirants at 5,000 new Ghana Cedis (50 million cedis) whilst the nominations forms are free in conformity to its socialist philosophy.

Nomination fees for national offices are: Chairman, First and Second National Chairperson and General Secretary, 1,000 Ghana cedis (ten million cedis), whilst contenders for other positions would pay 100 Ghana cedis (one million cedis).

Mr Pwamang assured the aspirants that the national leadership, members of the Central Committee, regional and constituency executives and staff at the party's secretariat would remain neutral in all aspects of the campaign from filing to elections.

PNC's eligibility criteria made available to the Ghana News Agency requires the aspirants to have at least one year of card bearing membership, meet the prescribed qualification as ascribed in the 1992 Constitution and the party's constitution, good conduct, background police criminal report and good standing within the party.

It directed all aspirants and their campaign teams not to obstruct, disrupt or cause to break up meetings and campaign activities of other aspirants or promote any act of indiscipline. The rules say an aspirant and the campaign team must not destroy, remove, deface or tamper with the paraphernalia and campaign materials of other aspirants and they must avoid the use of inflammatory, abusive or provocative language or incitements to denigrate the integrity of other aspirants.

According to the code of conduct, the party would provide equal opportunity to all aspirants to interact with all organs and structures of the party during the campaign period.