Politics of Tuesday, 3 March 2015
Source: Graphic Online
The 2012 flag bearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Mr Hassan Ayariga, has given the strongest indication of raising the needed funds for an early congress of the party.
“I am prepared to raise the needed funds to enable the party go for an early congress,” Mr Ayariga told the Daily Graphic yesterday.
He said the practice whereby the PNC had to push the national congress to eight months to the presidential and parliamentary elections was doing the party more harm than good.
Arguing for an early congress of the PNC, he explained that the PNC stood a very good chance in the 2016 election only if it prepared early.
In his view, an early congress, almost two years to the 2016 elections, would give enough time for restructuring of the party to make it more attractive.
He disclosed that already, the General Secretary of the PNC, Mr Bernard Mornah, was visiting the various constituencies across the country with the view to strengthening party structures.
He expressed the hope that it would lead to an early national congress. Mr Ayariga called on the rank and file of the party to support the call for an early congress, saying the ‘’ party has a lot to benefit from.”
He expressed the hope for the party to go for its constituency elections this month (March), followed by the regional elections in May and the national executive elections either in June or July to elect national officers to steer the affairs of the party.
He said during a tour of party constituency offices, party members asked him what was happening to the PNC since in their view, the party had been dormant.
Mr Ayariga explained that prior to the 2012 elections, the party changed the constitution and transferred its leadership to the national chairman instead of the flag bearer and that had greatly affected the fortunes of the party.
He said most people in leadership positions had seen that the changes had affected the party so much and that in the next congress, the changes would be effected to make the flag bearer lead the presidential campaign instead of the chairman of the party, to bring the party back to its feet.