PNC MPs Join Nana•Dan Lartey For NDC

PNC gurus at the press conference yesterday THE Parliamentary caucus of the People's National Convention (PNC) yesterday officially endorsed the candidature of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, flag-bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), for the December 28 presidential run-off.

Moses Dani Baah, MP for Sisila East, Haruna Bayiraga, MP for Sisala West and David Appasera, MP for Bolgatanga who doubles as the party's National Treasurer yesterday announced that aside the official endorsement of the NPP candidate, they would embark on a regional campaign to ask their supporters to vote for Nana Addo on December 28.

The MPs debunked an assertion that their decision was in contravention to the position of the leadership of the PNC to remain neutral in the run-off.

“If the PNC as a party wants to remain neutral, that does not mean that we cannot go ahead to endorse a candidate we want to support, and it is not we the three MPs alone who are endorsing Nana Addo, we have a lot of regional chairmen, organizers and party people with us to support Nana Addo,” Haruna Bayiraga noted in his response to questions from journalists.

They explained that though all the opposition parties campaigned for 'change' prior to the December 7 election, they “simply have not been convinced that the NDC offers the kind of change that will fast forward Ghana's development.”

They explained further that their decision to support the NPP was arrived at after a meticulous study of the visions of the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), an evaluation of the records of both parties in government and a consideration of the historical relationship between the two parties and the PNC.

A statement signed by the three MPs said they believe their decision was in the best interest of the development of the state and the PNC.

“We are especially excited by Nana Addo's deep and heartfelt commitment to take bold decisive steps to close the development gap between the north and the south of Ghana.

“We are ready to offer him all the critical and objective support that he will need to push forward his bold vision to bring back the can-do spirit of the Ghanaian and finally see us make a serious attempt  at moving from our third world status to first world status,” the MPs noted.

The statement cited the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the free maternal health care, the Microfinance And Small Loan Scheme, free bus ride for school children, the School Feeding Programme, and a number of other social relief programmes implemented by the NPP-led government, and said the PNC appreciates and believes in such programmes.

The endorsement was announced barely 48-hours after the NPP received a similar endorsement from the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP).

Meanwhile, a younger brother of former President Dr. Hilla Limann has slammed the leadership of the PNC for failing to reach a decision on which party to endorse in the run-off.

Naa Limann IV, Gwollukuoro said if the PNC executives had considered the overthrow of the founder of the party, Dr. Hilla Limann, their meeting on Tuesday would not have ended in a deadlock. Naa Limann, who said he was next to his brother by birth, said although the PNC had taken a neutral stance, aligning with the ruling NPP would have been a better option.

He said a little recall of history would have put the PNC in the correct position to decide which candidate to support.

 “We are saying that they should look at the past, they should look at it,” he demanded.

Dr. Hilla Limann was on 1981 deposed by former President Jerry Rawlings in a bloody coup on 31st December 1981.

 Several civilians and security men were murdered while others disappeared during the 11-year rule of the PNDC.

A meeting of the 40-member national executive committee of the PNC on Tuesday hit a deadlock as party members were split as to which party it should support in the run-off.

However, Dan Lartey, founder and leader of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) has announced his decision to endorse the candidature of Prof. John Evans John Atta Mills of the NDC.

According to Dan Lartey, he was supporting the NDC because the party's philosophy and vision is similar to his domestication policy.

All the major smaller parties have refused to endorse the NDC's change and rather asked their supporters to analyse the two parties and make their own decision. By Halifax Ansah-Addo