CPP Goes to Congress in June

The Convention People's Party (CPP) has fixed the month of June for its Special National Delegates' Congress to elect a flag-bearer for Election 2004.

The party would be the third to elect its flag-bearer after former Vice President Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the retention of President John Agyekum Kufuor by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

A party source has disclosed that four potential candidates have started lobbying for support.

They are Mr. Ato Sackey of the defunct National Convention Party, who stepped aside for former Vice President Mr. Kow Nkensen Arkaah, Mr. Johnny Hansen, a legal practitioner, Mr. Dan Lartey, leader of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and Mr. George Aggudey, Managing Proprietor of Gocrest Security, who lost to Professor George Hagan in 2000.

The Congress would also elect National Executives to steer the affairs of the party for the next two years.

The source indicated Prof. Hagan had so far not shown any interest.

He said there were signs that the CPP would be the third force in next year's election adding that the name CPP would not only remind Ghanaians of the great deeds of the Nkrumah-led CPP but would also lay bare the deficiencies of the ruling NPP and the other parties.

He called on party members to organise to ensure that the strength of the CPP would be consolidated and revitalised.

Developments in the party since 1992 have not been quite smooth, leading to the Nkrumaists presenting four parties for the 1992 elections.

The elders of the party in 2001 initiated talks aimed at uniting all the Nkrumaist parties once again.

The CPP and National Reform Party (NRP) signed a Unity Accord but the People's National Convention withdrew.