According to him, the inabil­ity of past leaders to reconcile with aggrieved party members had led to numerous defec­tions and weakened the party’s standing.

“I’m not sure that any of the leaders have reached out to an aggrieved party member. I’m not sure if they have been to their office or home and said, ‘Let’s have breakfast or discuss the issue.’ We will do that, and that is going to be the new PNC that will attract more mem­bers to the party,” Awingobit remarked.

Looking ahead, Mr Awin­gobit pledged to unify both aggrieved party leaders and members if he wins the chair­manship.

He emphasised a hands-on approach, committing to travel across regions and constituen­cies to personally reconcile with disgruntled members.

“We are not going to sit in Accra and say we are united; we are going to go to the regions, to the constituency levels, and find out those that are ag­grieved. In fact, some of them we will go to their homes to have breakfast with them. We are going to kneel down and plead with them to return to the party. That’s the kind of leader I am going to be to bring unity back to the party,” he said.

The PNC, which traces its roots to the People’s National Party (PNP), the party that produced President Dr Hilla Li­mann during the Third Repub­lic has seen its influence wane since its peak in the early 2000s.

The PNC captured four seats in parliament in the 2004 general elections but lost two of those seats in 2008, struggling to regain its footing in subse­quent elections.

To rejuvenate the party, a new crop of leaders, including Mr Awingobit, is vying for national positions to reset the PNC’s trajectory.

The party’s national con­gress is scheduled for August 31, 2024, where leaders will be elected ahead of the December general elections.

Among the candidates, David Apasera and Bernard Mornah are contesting for the flagbearer position, while Awu­du Ishaq is running for General Secretary.