Stay Off Presidential Polls - CPP Man

THE CONVENTION People�s Party (CPP) 2008 parliamentary candidate for Nsawam-Aburi in the Eastern region has called on the party to shelve the idea of electing a presidential candidate for the next general election. Isaac Opare-Addo has asked the party to rather strategize on getting �winnable� candidates for 2012 parliamentary elections saying this could help the CPP get more representatives in parliament and for that matter government. In an interview with DAILY GUIDE he said all aspirants for the party�s flag bearer ship position who call themselves true members of the CPP must be ready to sacrifice their ambitions and support the party�s parliamentary candidates with the necessary logistics and resources to succeed. He said during the past 16 years that the party has been participating in the country�s presidential elections, its fortunes have been dwindling consistently and now the CPP has only one representative in parliament. �Our founder Kwame Nkrumah said organization decides everything and on top of being a good organizer, he was a good strategist and that was why the party easily won elections during his time,� he explained. Mr. Opare-Addo noted that the party�s leadership must focus on strategizing for the 2016 general elections by getting more CPP representatives into parliament because any attempt to participate in the presidential elections will continue to polarize the party along pro-Nduom, pro-Aggudey and pro-Akosa lines. �I want to tell the party that when we go and elect say, Nduom again for the presidential elections, none of his competitors will support him,� he said adding that without the support of the others there is no way Nduom can even win 5 percent of the total votes. He reiterated that it would be a complete waste of time and resources to elect a presidential candidate and that the money spent on that congress could be used to support viable parliamentary candidates in their bid to represent the party in parliament. �We must boycott the presidential elections and get people who can win parliamentary elections to contest so that we can get a better hold on government affairs as Samia Nkrumah has been able to do. The lady has the charisma and from nowhere she was able to win the parliamentary elections contested by all the other big parties,� he said. He advocated the election of Samia Nkrumah as chairperson of the party saying she represents the new face of CPP. �If Samia wins the chairmanship of the party, the fortunes of the CPP will change. More people will be attracted to the party and she will be able to attract more resources for the transformation of the party,� he pointed out. He further asked delegates to vote for the Jomoro MP as she is very energetic and the only CPP contestant who has been able to win a national election.