The Greater Accra Regional offices of many political parties, including the National Democratic Congress (NDC), People’s National Convention (PNC), and Convention People’s Party (CPP) are inactive, less than 24 months to Election 2012, a Ghana News Agency survey has revealed.
GNA investigations have further revealed that most of these party offices are dormant because most of the people engaged as party activists or regional executives are part-time politicians and full-time businessmen and women.
“Most of the time they go to manage their business entities and periodically pass by,” a security man at the headquarters of one of the parties told the Ghana News Agency.
A visit to the regional offices of some major political parties revealed that the parties have either neglected or failed to maintain them contrary to Section 15 (3c) of the Political Parties Law (Act 574).
According to the Act 574 the EC is empowered to cancel the registration certificate of a political party on the grounds that it has refused, neglected or failed to establish or maintain national, regional and district offices.
A visit to the NDC regional office situated at Kawokudi in Accra showed a dormant office without most of the regional officers, whilst the CPP regional office at the CPP headquarters at Asylum Down is not functioning.
GNA observed at the PNC headquarters that a small room, which serves as Greater Accra regional office, has a television set, two old tables and some old party posters.
Perhaps the only party with an active regional office is the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), whose regional office shares facilities with the Youth and Women’s wing of the party at its former national headquarters at Kokomlemle.
Other political parties which have failed to maintain regional offices include Democratic Freedom Party (DFP); Democratic People's Party (DPP); Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE Party); Ghana Democratic Republican Party (GDRP) and Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
The rest are Ghana National Party (GNP), National Reform Party (NRP), New Vision Party (NVP), Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD), United Ghana Movement (UGM), United Love Party (ULP) and United Renaissance Party (URP).