General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Nketia has reiterated that Regional and Constituency Executives of the party who have already endorsed and declared support for President John Evans Atta Mills are not liable to any form of punishment.

According to him, there were no guidelines that prohibited the executives from declaring their support at the time they did so.

About five regional executives including those from the Northern, Greater Accra, Upper West, Brong Ahafo and Ashanti among others, have openly endorsed President Atta Mills in the forthcoming congress of the NDC slated for July 8.

The NDC’s conduct of campaign, however, prohibits institutions, branches or structures of the party from issuing any public or press statement in support of any of the contestants. Offenders, according to the party’s code of conduct, are liable to sanctions by the National Executive Council (NEC) upon the recommendation of a Disciplinary Committee.

But addressing a Press Conference at the party’s headquarters on the NDC’s Guidelines and Time- table for Internal Party elections, General Mosquito as the NDC Chief Scribe is commonly referred to, emphasized that none of the executives who were part of the endorsement spree will be penalized since currently there is no candidate as nobody has picked up nomination forms.

He also disclosed that the guidelines takes effect from today, Monday, April 18.

“We have issued guidelines today so which guidelines are you complaining that have been breached by some people. There are no guidelines and in fact, if there is a draft bill in parliament, you can’t take anybody to court for breach of it while it is still being worked on; whether or not somebody leaked it to you. So as far as we are concerned, we are issuing the guidelines with effect from today, besides NDC has no candidate as at today because no candidate has picked nomination forms from my office and that is the only place prospective candidates will come and pick forms,” he reiterated.

He urged all contestants, their supporters or agents to let their utterances be guided by the supreme interest of the party and abide by the code of conduct as provided for in Article 40 of the Party’s Constitution during the entire period of their campaign, beginning from the time of opening of nominations to, during and after the National Congress.