The centre of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) appears not to be holding any longer, as one of its leading personalities, Mr. Mike Eghan makes an exit from the political grouping of which he is a founding member. The resignation of this leading figure in the Nkrumaist fraternity was contained in a correspondence addressed to the General Secretary of the party, Prof. Nii Noi Dowuona and dated July 5, 2006.
“I am with very deep regret resigning my membership in the CPP with immediate effect,” he stated in the correspondence which comes at a time some important personalities of the Osagyefo’s political grouping have pitched camp with the yet-to-be-registered Obed-led Democratic Freedom Party (DFP).
Mr. Eghan’s resignation carried the pain with which this CPP figure took the final leap from the party with which he had been associated from his youthful days. He attributed the reasons for his decision to a dwindled confidence in those at the helm of affairs of the CPP, in which he claimed to have invested a lot in terms of finance and time over the years. He expressed regret that his wish in nurturing a party based on the ideals of the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and to ensure domestication of the national interest, had failed to bear fruits.
“It has been my wish as a longstanding member of the CPP and one who has put a lot at risk since 1992 through the People’s Heritage Party (PHP), the People’s Convention Party (PCP), the Convention Party (CP) and then to the CPP to work within the party, to develop a political and economic philosophy centred on domesticating our national interest and building national cohesion,” he said.
A disappointed Mike Eghan recalled his expensive personal interventions and sacrifices he made towards ensuring the survival of the Nkrumaist tradition, which included the legal venture he undertook to restore the CPP name and the cockerel symbol.
“I personally sacrificed a lot and championed and financed the legal battle to get back the name CPP and the Red Cockerel symbol to offer hope to the many well-wishers of the Nkrumaist tradition,” he said. Continuing, Mike Eghan noted that the CPP had not responded to the treatment at resuscitating it, a situation he attributed to the leadership of the party.
According to him, the current leadership of the party is inflicting “mortal damage to the Osagyefo’s party.” The party, he noted, had been torn apart by what he described as an “obsession with ceaseless, unproductive merger negotiations instead of uniting behind ideas and messages that will give hope to the people.” This situation, he added, led to the factionalisation of the party, which factions were engaged in competitions among themselves. Mike Eghan did not have kind words for the leaders of the so-called Nkrumaist merger talks as he said, “they are nursing self-centred plans to become flagbearers in the 2008 Presidential elections.” Some of the merger talk leaders, he continued, “are busy promoting other parties while pretending to be leading members of the CPP and causing its downfall. I cannot pretend and will not belong to what I can no longer justify.”
His displeasure about a correspondence he fired to the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Edmund Delle, about his resignation as the 2nd National Vice Chairman not being acknowledged, found space in his exit letter. “It is worthy to note that as far back as January 2006, I wrote to the National Chairman, Leader and Young Pioneer, Dr. Edmund Delle to announce my resignation as the 2nd National Vice Chairman of the Party. As of today, Wednesday, 5th July 2006, Dr. Delle or the party has not had the very simple and ordinary courtesy to reply to my letter,” he lamented.
Mike Eghan appears to be contemplating organizing an alternative political grouping as he mentions in the correspondence that “I will spend my time to work with like-minded people from all parts of the Ghanaian society, activists from the existing parties and others to create a credible alternative that will be competitive in the 2008 elections.”
Sounding philosophical, Mike Eghan stated “at this stage in my life besides my spouse, my children, my extended family, and my very close associates, the best that I can do for posterity to judge is to work with other political personalities to build and offer alternative policy choices and a positive, selfless approach to nation-building.”
Concluding, he stressed “I want to be able to say that I did the best I could to build a party that would offer a strong voice to the poor, the disadvantaged, the workers and others who are struggling to improve the quality of their lives.” At his press conference of 9th May 2006, Mike Eghan called for a new movement to energise people who associate with the ideals of the late CPP founder, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. He encouraged also the current leadership of the party to give way to others who would give the party enthusiasm, enhanced credibility and the positive image that could attract the youth and others into its hold. His hope at the time he made the call, was to see to the building of a broad coalition of progressive forces, to compete in the 2008 elections on the foundation of a strong Centre-Left development agenda.
Mike Eghan’s hopes have been dashed as spelled out in his resignation letter. The Nkrumaist family which has suffered from destructive factionalisation over the years, seems to have failed in its latest effort at forging a single party to contest the forthcoming 2008 elections, especially with some leading figures in the grouping marching to the yet-to-be registered Democratic Freedom Party of Dr. Obed Yao Asamoah. Political analysts regard the exit of Mike Eghan and others as the final disintegration of the Nkrumaist family.
