Ndebugri defects with 7000 PNC members

Hon John Akparibo Ndebugri

The former People’s National Convention (PNC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Zebilla, Hon John Akparibo Ndebugri, has defected to the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), four months after losing his seat to the National Democratic Congress’s Hon Cletus Avoka.

Reports indicate that he took with him about seven thousand of his supporters to the largest opposition party, the NPP.

Hon Ndebugri announced his defection at a Press Conference in Bolgatanga, the capital of the Upper East Region on Thursday May 20, 2009.

Until his exit from Parliament on January 6 this year, Hon Ndebugri was the PNC’s Member of Parliament for Zebilla.

In an interview with Citi News, Hon Ndebugri said the decision to defect received prior approval from executive members of the PNC in the Zebilla Constituency.

“The whole gamut of the NPP executives was at the press conference. The constituency executives, the regional chairman, the regional vice chairman, the former regional minister and many others were all present at the press conference I was part of the NPP majority caucus in Parliament so I could not have done this without talking to some of them”, he said

Answering questions on what he was bringing on board for the NPP, Hon Ndebugri said “we are going to assist them to take back power in 2012 because in just four months you can see where we are going”

Hon Ndebugri’s departure comes at a time when the PNC is struggling to pull itself together after another humiliating defeat in the last general election, the fourth for the party since Ghana returned to constitutional rule.

With some seven thousand more members defecting together with the defected former Zebilla MP, party insiders fear the PNC’s days appear numbered.

Meanwhile the party’s former presidential candidate, Dr Edward Mahama speaking to Citi News says he cares less about Mr. John Ndebugri’s defection.

He notes, “he left the PNC long ago so am not surprised and good luck to him…He didn’t attend the last National delegates congress, he tried to stop the congress…so leave him alone…I hope he won’t have problems with Nana Addo or any other member of that party, and they should beware, he is coming”.

 

By: citifmonline.com