Accra, Feb 27, GNA - Mr John Ndebugre, Peoples National Convention (PNC) Member of Parliament for Zebilla on Monday said he still remained the first National Vice-Chairman of the Party until otherwise decided by a duly constituted National Delegates Congress.

He has explained that the General Secretary of the PNC, Mr Gabriel Pwamang's letter purportedly suspending him from office did not specify the conduct that he was supposed to have engaged in that contravened provisions of the Party's Constitution.

A letter signed and copied to the General Secretary of the PNC, the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Party and the Media in Accra by Mr Ndebugre said, "to the extent that no particulars of my offence have been stated against me, the action of both General Secretary and the Standing Committee is without any legal foundation".

The suspension letter as signed by the General Secretary and copied to the Leader of the PNC and the Chairman of the Electoral Commission accused Mr Ndebugre of engaging in conduct that contravened the provisions of the Party's Constitution, and was prejudicial to the good standing of the Party and tended to bring the Party into disrepute. The MP was alleged to have made a number of statements declaring his support for the Representation of the People's Amendment Bill (ROPAB) in contradiction to the PNC position. Mr Ndebugre argued that the procedure for removing a Vice-Chairman of the PNC did not include an appearance before the Party's Disciplinary Committee.

"In the light of the forgoing, the Standing Committee's position is untenable as being unconstitutional".

"In the absence of reference to any authority that mandated the General Secretary to summon me to appear before the Party's Disciplinary Committee, I felt perfectly entitled to conclude that he was acting outside his powers and functions under the party's Constitution and therefore, to ignore him, which I did. The subsequent action purportedly taken against me by the Standing Committee without hearing me, offends against the rules of natural justice, in the light of the forgoing." The MP also claimed he was still waiting for a reply to the letter he sent to the General Secretary which sought to know on whose authority the General Secretary wrote to summon him to the Disciplinary Committee.