PNC: 'Suspended' General Secretary reinstated; Dani Baah, Apasera removed

The internal wranglings in the People’s National Convention (PNC) have deepened.

This follows a new turn of events with the announcement of the removal from office of the Leader of the party, Mr David Apasera, and the National Chairman, Mr Moses Dani Baah, at a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Kumasi (Kumasi-NEC) yesterday.

At the meeting, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the PNC, Mr Bala S. Maikankan, was appointed as the acting Chairman of the party, while the other national officers, with the exception of Messrs Apasera and Dani Baah, were made to continue to function in their respective positions.

The extraordinary meeting, which was attended by some regional chairmen and their representatives from nine out of the 16 regions, also reversed an earlier decision by a NEC meeting in Accra which suspended the General Secretary of the party, Ms Janet Asana Nabla, from office.

Chairman responds

But a counter statement signed by Mr Dani Baah said Ms Nabla remained on indefinite suspension.

The statement said it was preposterous for any gathering of dissatisfied party executives to take a void decision to indicate that the general secretary had been reinstated.

It explained that NEC meetings were convened at the behest of the leader of the party, in consultation with the national chairman and/or the general secretary, with one-third of all NEC members attending and chaired by the national chairman, or in his absence any of his two vice-chairmen, and in their absence a regional chairman, “but with the written consent of the national chairman”.

“In this regard, the widely publicised meeting in Kumasi yesterday cannot pass for a NEC meeting and, therefore, the accompanying communique should be treated with the contempt it deserves,” it said.

Legal action

A communique issued at the end of the Kumasi NEC meeting charged the reinstated general secretary and the acting national chairman to do everything within their power, including restraining orders against the ‘dismissed’ executives, to prevent them from acting as executives of the party.

Reading the communiqué, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the PNC, Mr Suleiman Seidu, said the NEC meeting of August 28, 2021 that indefinitely suspended the general secretary “was not properly constituted, pursuant to Article 45(3), and as such that meeting is null and void and its outcome must be treated with contempt”.

He said there was no quorum at the said meeting, thereby failing to meet the constitutional requirement that at least half of the membership of NEC must be present for such meetings.

Mr Seidu said the decision to remove the national chairman and the leader of the party from office was based on a petition submitted to NEC by the general secretary, the Ashanti Regional Youth Organiser, Muniru Mohammed, and the Communications Director of the North East Region, Memuna Yidana.

According to him, after careful deliberation, the NEC found both guilty of the act and consequently removed them from office.

He said the two officers allegedly decided to withdraw GH¢1.7 million, which had been raised for the December 2020 elections, from the party’s coffers, without the knowledge of the general secretary, who was in charge of the daily operations of the party.

He said the two leaders also failed to account for the money withdrawn.

Representatives from the Greater Accra, North East, Savannah, Central, Western North, Eastern, Northern, Ahafo and Upper East regions were present at the meeting.

No meeting

Prior to yesterday’s meeting in Kumasi, the party’s chairman had urged members of the party to disregard any notice of such a NEC meeting.

In a statement, he had said Article 45 of the PNC constitution stipulated, in clear terms, how NEC meetings could be convened, with all the circumstances spelt out.

“It is no longer in doubt that there has been some turbulence in the party lately, but I assure you that the leadership shall navigate the party out from troubled waters to safe lands.

“If there is any need for a NEC meeting, I shall not hesitate to convene one as soon as possible,” Mr Dani Baah emphasised.

Background

The leadership of the PNC and the General Secretary, Ms Nabla, have been embroiled in a fierce disagreement following an announcement by the party last Saturday that Ms Nabla had been suspended for "gross misconduct, incompetence and insubordination".

The party said the decision was taken after an emergency NEC meeting held at the GNAT Hall on Saturday, August 28, 2021.

Speaking to the issues last Friday, the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the PNC, Colonel Luri Bayorbor (retd), called on the feuding factions in the party to stop the media war and “take it cool”.

He said there were due processes to be followed in the party, and that if one felt unjustifiably treated or had a problem with the leadership, the Council of Elders existed to play a mediating role to resolve any problem.