The People’s National Convention (PNC) has chosen Mr Andrews Nomwa, a 38-year-old nurse, as the party’s new candidate for the March 14 Bimbilla bye-election. Mr Nomwa, who works at Chamba in the Bimbilla Constituency, was unanimously elected by the PNC at a constituency delegates’ congress at Bimbilla on Monday.

A PNC source who disclosed this to the Graphic in an interview in Accra on Tuesday said Mr Nomwa’s name accordingly features in the party’s name for the ballot. The choice of Mr Nomwa follows the decision of Mr Dominic Nitiwul, who had earlier been presented as the candidate for the PNC in the bye-election, to withdraw support for the party at the weekend.

Mr Nitiwul is reported to have told PNC officials at Bimbilla last weekend that he had left the party and pitched camp with the NPP to contest the polls. The PNC leader, Dr Edward Mahama, denounced the action of Mr Nitiwul, describing him as either “a fraud or an imposter.”

The PNC followed up its protestation with a suit it filed at a Tamale High Court on Monday seeking to restrain the Electoral Commission (EC) from accepting the candidature of Mr Nitiwul, and Mr Nitiwul from being fielded as a candidate in the March 14 bye-election.

The PNC is insisting that Mr Nitiwul was a member of the PNC at the time he sought its nomination and that it (PNC) had incurred expenses on preparing him (Mr Nitiwul) for the bye-election on the ticket of the party. The PNC source told the Graphic that the party was very determined to win the bye-election and would not be distracted by these turn of events.