Demolish NPP Club House - Akwetey

One of the Convention People's Party (CPP) presidential aspirants, Mr. Bright Akwetey, has demanded an immediate dismantling of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Club House which is directly opposite the Electoral Commission (EC) in Accra, alleging that the House may contain all kinds of equipment which the Party might use to rig the presidential and parliamentary elections in December 2008.

Mr. Akwetey, who made this demand in an exclusive interview with the Ghanaian Observer in Accra last Wednesday, asserted that the rejuvenated CPP has better chances of winning the elections, if effective mechanisms are put in place to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

The CPP Presidential aspirant stressed: "If the elections are free and fair and if the NPP is not allowed to use their Club House directly opposite the Electoral Commission, which is using various equipment that could facilitate rigging during the election ... the CPP stands a better chance of winning the 2008 elections ...”

He predicted that both the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) will lose the 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections abysmally to the CPP, despite the caliber of their 'presidential' material they will be fielding in 2008.

The CPP top gun has also called for the pulling down of the NPP Club House opposite the Electoral Commission, asserting that not only will the NPP be tempted to use it as a base to manipulate the electoral process, but could also pull a fast one on the other political parties during the up-coming 2008 elections to entrench themselves in power.

According to Mr. Akwetey, the track records of the NDC and NPP's seven years of ruling indicate they came to enrich their pockets and those of their families and cronies, under the guise of their so-called philosophy of property-owning democracy.

"If you look at the policies of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), they came to sell national enterprises. And if you look at the policies of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), they are also selling the national enterprises and the strategic assets," he charged.

The CPP Presidential aspirant argued that if these negative developments continued unchecked, sooner than later, Ghana will be left destitute, with Ghanaians continuing to solicit for assistance from rich nations all over the world.

"They pursued the policies that did not benefit the people ... A few people are living in good houses, while majority of the people are lying outside, without shelter. This is clear in Nima, Tudu and other places. They don't care about them ... " he said.

Bright Akwetey also stated that the NDC presidential candidate, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, originally carried CPP credentials, which is against selling of state enterprises. He affirmed that selling of state property to a few affluent private individuals is bad, but he (Prof. Mills) cannot condemn that owing to his association with the NDC tradition today.

"Prof. Mills has CPP background; but he is now compelled to believe in the NDC tradition. The NDC has run this country before, and they sold national assets so cheaply to people who are not even utilizing those assets ... " Akwetey said.

He predicted that when a CPP government assumes power in 2009, it will completely change the face of this policy and, since it is evidently clear that the NDC presidential candidate does not believe in selling off state property, he will be wooed to the side of the CPP.