PNC, CPP strike an alliance for December polls

The Brong Ahafo regional branches of the People’s National Convention (PNC) and the Convention People’s Party (CPP), have agreed on a form alliance to fight for a common goal in the December 2012 general elections.

Under the alliance, a single candidate would be presented by the two parties for the parliamentary election, where both parties would campaign to ensure victory.

At a jointly-organised press conference held at the PNC Regional Office in Sunyani at the weekend, the executives of the two parties decided to work out the arrangement for the allocation of the constituency seats.

The regional executives of the PNC represented were Mr. Thomas Boye, Chairman, Miss Victoria Owusuaa, Women’s Organiser, Mr. Abu Yahaya, Assistant Treasurer, Mr. Bauh Inusah, Secretary and Mr. Benjamin Ricco, Organiser.

Those from the CPP camp were Mr. Mike Ofori, First Chairman, Mr. Adam Mustapha, Treasurer, Mr. Seidu Sibiri, Organiser and Mr. Abu Rashid, Assistant Youth Organiser.

The executives of the two parties underscored the importance of an alliance and said it was the wish of any of the Nkrumaist parties to form a government through the ballot box, but indications were that achieving that goal single-handedly would continue to elude any of them.

The alliance, in their opinion, would help their parties to win at least more parliamentary seats in the December general elections, adding the number of parliamentary seats would serve as a catalyst or strategy to convince the leadership of the two Nkrumaist parties on the need to agree to a merger.

The executives of the two Nkrumaist parties observed that for some years now, card-bearing and floating voters in the region had continued to blame the leadership of the parties for their failure to merge and fight a common goal.

“It is this view being expressed by some Ghanaians that we, the executives of the two parties in Brong-Ahafo Region have seen the need to first strive for the path of alliance in the initial stage leading to merger at a convenient time”, they stated.

Mr. Inusah of PNC recalled that at the national delegates’ congress held in Sunyani early February, this year, the party expressed the need for the two parties to merge, emphasizing that it was the same CPP-PNC merger that won victory for Dr. Hilla Limann in the 1979 general election to become President.

The executives of the two political parties advised their counterparts in the other regions to embrace the alliance strategy.

“Looking at the political terrain, there is no need to say Ghanaians are fed up with both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), but the question most electorate in the country continue to ask is that, after the two political parties (NDC and NPP) what party next?”, the CPP and PNC executives in Brong-Ahafo observed.

They were quick to note that, it was now the turn of an Nkrumaist party but that might remain wishful thinking if CPP and PNC refused to unite under one political party.**