Five National executives of the People’s National Convention (PNC) have jointly petitioned the party’s Council of Elders to sanction the party’s General Secretary Janet Asana Nabla for “perjury” and “impersonation” after she, according to them, unilaterally wrote to the Electoral Commission with an attached list of national executives which she asked the election management body to deem as “improperly elected”.
The petitioners include Mr Emmanuel A. Akannae (National Treasurer), Mr Issahaque Awudulai (National Communications Secretary), Mr Mark Arkoh Ewusi ((National Youth Organiser), Saeed Abdallah (Deputy National Organiser) and Prince Agyemang Duah (Deputy National Youth Organiser).
In her letter to the EC dated Monday, 16 August 2021, the General Secretary said the party, on 30 September 2020, held a Congress in all the 16 regions of the country simultaneously, to conduct an election for its national executives
The letter said in accordance with Article 41 and 42 of the party’s constitution as amended in 2015, the following individuals went unopposed and were not properly elected:
Deputy General Secretary:
1. Yakub Farukhdeen
2. Jacob Amoako
Deputy National Organiser:
1. Francis Daasu
2. Saeed Abdul Moomin
Treasurer:
1. Emmanuel A. Akannae
Deputy Women Organiser:
1. Christiana Fugah
Youth Organiser:
Mark Arko Ewusi
Deputy Youth Organiser
Prince Agyemang Dua
Communication Secretary:
Issahaque Awudulai
The General Secretary’s letter stated further that owing to this, the party is unable to state which people properly occupy the first and second deputy portfolios.
She also noted that the Communication Secretary to the party is supposed to be appointed as instructed by Article 57 of the party’s constitution.
“Due to the above discrepancies that contravene the PNC constitution, the party’s regional chairmen, who constitute an integral part of the National Executive Committee, are asking the above officeholders to step aside until such a time that a proper election is conducted”, the letter said.
However, the petitioners said in their letter to the Chairman of the Council of Elders: “The decision to elect us by popular acclamation was taken by the Congress Committee on the instructions of the leadership of the party, then, in the interest of the party, to cut down the cost of printing ballots, since we were all contesting unopposed at the close of nominations to save the party any unmerited cost”.
“This procedure of electing officers of the party was never a novelty, as it has been used to elect executives at the constituency and regional levels of the party since time immemorial”, they argued.
The petition noted: “Respectfully sir, we are, thus, compelled by this unfortunate turn of events to petition your highly esteemed Committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate unilateral decision by the General Secretary, which has brought the name of the party into disrepute for the umpteenth time”.
“Her attitude borders on perjury and impersonation, which are untenable, as far as the high office of General Secretary of the PNC is concerned”, it read in part.
Read the full petition below:
PEOPLE’S NATIONAL CONVENTION
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
ABAVANA JUNCTION- ACCRA
P.O. BOX AC120, ART CENTER
17th August 2021.
THE CHAIRMAN,
DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE
PNC-HEADQUARTERS
ACCRA,
Dear Sir,
COMPLAINT OF PERJURY AND IMPERSONATION AGAINST MS JANET NABLA FOR BRINGING THE NAME OF THE HIGH OFFICE OF GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE PNC INTO DISREPUTE
We bring you comradely greetings praying that you are in high spirits and in good health as well.
We, the undersigned, are national executives of the party, who were elected through popular acclamation at the last National Congress of the party held on 30th September 2020 throughout all the sixteen regions of the country.
The decision to elect us by popular acclamation was taken by the Congress Committee on the instructions of the leadership of the party, then, in the interest of the party, to cut down the cost of printing ballots, since we were all contesting unopposed at the close of nominations to save the party any unmerited cost.
This procedure of electing officers of the party was never a novelty, as it has been used to elect executives at the constituency and regional levels of the party since time immemorial.
We believe that the General Secretary should have known the repercussions of such a decision to the party if the Electoral Commission decides to act on her letter, since several constituency and regional executives were elected through a similar process, who, in turn, formed the electoral college to elect all other national executives.
The domino-effect on the party will be so grave that Ms Janet Nabla herself might be deemed to have been illegally elected as the General Secretary and, hence, cannot hold herself up as such.
It, therefore, came to us as a huge shock when the General Secretary, Madam Janet Nabla, wrote a letter copied to us and circulated widely in the media, to the effect that the party has written to the Electoral Commission of Ghana to stop acknowledging us as validly elected officers of the party.
Our checks revealed that no organ of the party met and instructed her to take that decision and communicate same to the Electoral Commission.
Further checks revealed that there was no meeting of Regional Chairmen of the party at any point in time where that decision was taken.
Contact with Chairmen she listed revealed that she called them on phone on a different subject matter altogether, contrary to what she put in that letter to the Electoral Commission.
Respectfully sir, we are, thus, compelled by this unfortunate turn of events to petition your highly esteemed Committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate unilateral decision by the General Secretary, which has brought the name of the party into disrepute for the umpteenth time.
Her attitude borders on perjury and impersonation, which are untenable, as far as the high office of General Secretary of the PNC is concerned.
Please accept our highest regards as we look forward to co-operating with you on this matter.
Attached is the letter she authored and other media publications ensuing from her circulation of the letter.
Comradely Yours,
……………………………….
Emmanuel A. Akannae
(National Treasurer)
……………………………
Issahaque Awudulai
(National Communications Secretary)
……………………………………….
Mark Arkoh Ewusi
((National Youth Organizer)
……………………………………
Saeed Abdallah
(Dep National Organizer)
…………………………………..
Prince Agyemang Duah
(Dep National Youth Organizer)
CC:
MS JANET NABLA
GENERAL SECRETARY
PNC-HQ
ACCRA
CHAIRMAN,
COUNCIL OF ELDERS
PNC
THE LEGAL COMMITTEE
PNC