Pratt Warns Samia And Nduom

A staunch Nkrumaist and Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has decried the rising internal wrangling and petty squabbling within the Convention People’s Party (CPP).

The CPP, has in the past few days, been rocked by sharp disagreements over when a congress should be conducted to elect a flagbearer to lead the party for the 2012 general elections. It is believed that the CPP will hold its presidential primaries in March next year but some groups contend that will be in violation of Article 78 Clause 3 of the party’s constitution which requires that a presidential candidate is elected 24 months before elections.

Party chairperson, Samia Nkrumah, on Monday accused the CPP’s 2008 flagbearer, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom of being behind a grand scheme to stampede the party into having an early congress, and hinted that his actions could lead to his expulsion from the party.

“…They got everything wrong and it is an orchestrated campaign to derail the party’s progress. And we know where it is coming from…It is unfortunately, one of our aspiring presidential candidates, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom who has waged a relentless campaign to demoralize our sympathizers and well-wishers…The party would not tolerate this indiscipline any longer and we are taking measures to stop that…We will not tolerate this nonsense any more. Enough is enough,” an angry Samia said.

But Dr. Nduom camp has denied any wrong doing.

His spokesperson Kofi Asamoah Siaw said the 2008 CPP flagbearer cannot be held responsible for legitimate actions by constituency executives to demand early elections from national executives.

He also added that the party chairperson has no singular authority whatsoever to expel any member of the party.

Speaking as a panelist on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo Morning show in the wake of the recent upheavals within the CPP, Kwesi Pratt said: “I sometimes feel ashamed…Many a time when you sit back and look at what is going on in the Convention People’s Party, you feel ashamed…Looking at the two parties, I don’t know what they want to achieve at the end of the day…It beats my imagination what is going on in the party: when a meeting is called and you don’t pay for the transportation of those who will come, they will not come, most of the constituencies don’t even have party offices and even those with party offices lack the financial muscle to pay for it. If truth must be said, we don’t really have an entrenched party that contest in an election and win. For me, I think what we need to do is to put things right in the party, to be well rooted before we start fighting over positions or even disciplining people as Samia said she would do…,” he said.

Sickened at the use of intemperate language by leading members of the party, the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper reproved Samia Nkrumah for her outburst saying as a chairperson, her focus and efforts should be aimed at fostering unity among party members and organising a successful congress.

He also warned Dr Nduom against fomenting further trouble in the party since a fragmented CPP could scuttle his presidential ambitions.

“…Egyptian goddess…Nduom’s nonsense…my advice to my sister Samia is that a chairperson should not indulge in public remonstrations…she needs to unite members for an early congress and she must remain neutral in the contest for flagbearer…With Dr. Nduom, if CPP doesn’t unite, he will not achieve anything at the end of the day… but looking at the way things are going, it is going to bring division rather than unity…building offices and giving money to people; if one doesn’t take care everything will go down the drain…but this is a very delicate issue…,” he added.