The People’s National Party (PNP) can be registered as a new political party because the name does not exist in the records of the Electoral Commission, sources at the Commission have told the Ghana News Agency.
The People’s National Convention (PNC) has raised red flags over the decision by some executives who broke away from the PNC months ago to form a new party with the name People’s National Party.
The PNP, which has the palm tree as its symbol and operates with the slogan: “My Family, My Community, My Motherland” has Ms Janet Nabla, a former General Secretary of the PNC as its Chair and Leader.
In disagreement with the use of the name PNP, the PNC in a letter to the EC, dated 22nd April 2024, told the Commission that the PNP was the mother party, out of which the PNC was birthed and thus cannot run as a “parallel party”.
The Party said the formation of the PNC in 1992 was intended to advance the principles and traditions of the PNP which was formed in 1979.
The Party said some of the founding members of the PNP were the founding members of the PNC and argued that it would only require the founding members or the “original promoters” of PNP to resurrect the name.
The PNC expressed concern that the formation of the PNP would destroy the “foundational roots” of the Party and appealed to the EC to disregard the PNP.
A source at the EC confirmed that the Commission had been notified about the complaint and same was forwarded to its lawyers for advice.
The source said the Commission found no records of the PNP in its books to suggest that it was an existing Party and, therefore, could not restrain any group from using the name as a new political party.
The Commission earlier granted the PNP provisional certificate to mobilise itself into a political party in accordance with Political Parties Act, 2000 (ACT 574).
In an interview with the GNA, Mr Prince Agyeman-Duah, Acting General Secretary, PNC, said the Party was yet to receive official response from the EC on the complaint it raised against the PNP.
He said the Party would “take the matter seriously” if the Commission officially approved the PNP as a new political party.
“We wrote to them (EC) so the best thing to do is to write back to us. When the EC officially declares the PNP as a political party then we will know that they are serious for the game and we will also talk to our legal team,” Mr Agyeman-Duah said.
At a press conference on June 18, 2024, to announce the provisional certificate, the leadership of the PNP disregarded the concern raised by the PNC about the name of the Party and expressed the Party’s readiness to contest the upcoming General Election.
“By the end of this month, we will finish everything and make sure that we get the last certificate to enable us to contest in election 2024,” Ms Nabla told journalists.
GNA
KK
3 July, 2024
Caption: Pictures attached
