CONVENTION PEOPLES PARTY (GHANA) NEWS FILE

Legon don calls for early congress for CPP
Posted: Apr 07 2006

A leading member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has called on the leadership of the party to subject their stewardship to early congress.

According to him, the problem of the CPP had been lack of visionary leadership that would galvanise the people, especially the youth to form a formidable party to ran shoulder to shoulder with parties such as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He told the Daily Graphic the current CPP was not on the ground, and that the party required leaders who would be able to inspire people to join the fold of the CPP to win elections in the country.



It will be recalled that the party’s parliamentary caucus, made up of Mr Freddie Blay, MP for Ellembele, who is also the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum, MP for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem, who is also the Minister for Public Sector Reforms, and Mr Kojo Armah, MP for Evalue-Gwira also made a similar call for an early election, which had degenerated into a lot of controversy in the party.

Dr Antwi-Danso said the party was in a dire need of dynamic, patriotic and selfless leadership that would create the vehicle to move Nkrumahism forward so as to make the party attractive to voters.

He expressed worry about the unity talks which he said had moved at a tortoise’s pace for the past 10 years, yielding no concrete results.

Dr Antwi-Danso, who is also a leading member of the “Patriots”, a pressure group formed by some CPP members reminded all Nkrumahists that while they were dragging their feet in their quest to form a united front, with others fighting over symbols, names and motto, other parties were making great strides in their membership drive.

He attributed the parochial interests, entrenched positions and the lack of love for a greater CPP by some leading members of the parties as the main bane of the talks.

He said what was required was personalities with ideologies which could form a vehicle that would appeal to people to perceive the party as one in serious business, ready to be voted for to form a government.

Dr Antwi-Danso, who also lectures at the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA) of the University of Ghana, described some of the current leadership of the PNC and the CPP, involved in the unity talks, as people with rigid mentality.

He suggested that since the National Executive Committee of the CPP was not conclusive on the unity talks, the best thing to do was for the leadership to subject the talks to congress.

He said when the congress had decided on the way forward, the party would then be more focused, and put behind it the talks which had stalled its forward march for well over 10 years.

Dr Antwi-Danso reminded those ‘fighting’ over symbols and motto that Dr Hilla Liman won an election when the symbol, motto and the name of the CPP were banned through the instrumentality of visionary and enterprising leadership of Mr Imoro Egala and others.

He said Dr Liman was never an Nkrumahist, he stood on the ticket of another party against Mr Egala but Mr Egala realising his potential to win an election, brought Dr Liman to lead the PNP which was an Nkrumahist offspring, into victory.

He said that move did not divide their front.

Source: Daily Graphic

ASPIRANT: Professor Agyeman Badu-Akosah

CPP ROOTS: son of the former “strong” District Commissioner in the Nkrumah regime.



If there is any iota of doubt in the minds of watchers of the Ghanaian political scene and the public that Agyemang Badu Akosa, Director General of the Ghana Health Service, will put in stakes to become the Presidential Candidate of any party, The Statesman can indubitably confirm that the medical whiz-kid will not play that electoral game. Prof Akosa simply won’t run, states our sources.

This paper gathered from unimpeachable sources on the opening day of the just-ended two-day7th Ghana Investors’ Advisory Council Prof Akosa is studying the past, contemporary and futuristic political developments and biding his time to take a definite decision on his presidential ambitions at the appropriate time after the 2008 general elections. The GAIC was held from 31st March to 1st April at Akosombo in Eastern Region.

When our Chief Correspondent espied the former President of the Ghana Medical Association at the luxurious precincts of the deluxe Volta Hotel, which overlooks the Akosombo Hydro-Electric Dam, and approached him for a brief interview, he excused himself that he was doing some work.

Work? Yes, Prof Akosa was one of the experienced persons who were selected by the GAIC Secretariat to be facilitators of the Council’s meetings. Prof Akosa was busily clapping his hands to draw the attention of participants to resume the proceedings at the conference at about11: 20 am.

Recent media reports have indicated that Prof Akosa was interested in running for the presidential slot of the Convention Peoples’ Party but the health administrator denied he had such presidential ambitions. Some media sources have even suggested that he would compete for the ultimate political prize in Ghana on the ticket of the ruling New Patriotic Party.

The Brong royal, however, has deep CPP roots and sympathies as he was reported to have attended meetings and public fora of The Patriots, an informal group within the CPP. He is a known Nkrumaist. Yet political analysts surmise that the fact that he accepted to facilitate the GAIC for President John Agyekum Kufuor could be motivated by his patriotic fervour and public spirit.

Source:
Statesman