Akosa leads onslaught on CPP

The curse that has bugged the Convention People’s Party (CPP) all these years has again struck and from all indications the party is set for yet another gloomy election – that is, if it can marshal the needed logistics and capacity at all, in 2012.

The Patriots, a pressure group within the party, is up again on a destructive course which includes lie-peddling against some of the party’s leaders and pure falsehood about the CPP’s election campaign in 2008.

The agenda is to get the current leadership of the CPP, led by Mr Ladi Nylander, out and replace them with a friendly group to do their bidding, which includes the presidential nomination and parliamentary candidates for 2012.

The group plans to replace Mr Nylander with Iddi Egala, the same person whom they supported but failed to commandeer any meaningful backing from delegates in the 2007 national delegates congress of the CPP. Still lurking around though to stage a comeback for the CPP chairmanship is Edmund Dele, who Today’s investigations have shown, is coming from the George Aggudey camp.

From all indications, even if the sworn enemy of the Patriots, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, does not back anybody for the CPP leadership, the Akosas quest might not be granted that easily as it stands the risk of being wrecked by Dr Delle. It is the same with the presidential nomination where George Opeisika Aggudey seemed to have stolen the start.

It is not known whether Dr Nduom would be seeking for re-election under the current insipid state of the CPP. As usual, leading the Patriots onslaught is Prof. Agyemang Badu Akosa, the man who was outmuscled in the CPP’s 2008 presidential nomination.

The paper has it on authority with Prof. Akosa’s regional and constituency tours failing to galvanise the expectant results, he is resorting to plan B which includes orchestrated tirades against the leadership of the CPP and particularly the party’s 2008 presidential candidate on a number of radio and television stations.

Prof. Akosa’s recent effusions on a number of electronic media, Today gathered, constitute the second phase of the grand deceptive tactics being waged by the Patriots.

Other members of the group, Today has it on authority, are currently touring constituencies, feeding party supporters and members that the CPP failed woefully in 2008 because the party was virtually hijacked by its 2008 presidential candidate. (In-depth answers to the allegations are found on page 2 of today’s edition).

A leading member of the Patriots who indeed served a key position in the party’s 2008 presidential campaign, our investigations have shown, is falsely telling CPP members that he personally sold his house to fund the CPP campaign, when in fact he was supported on every journey of his campaign tour by the party’s 2008 flag bearer.

The move by the personality in question clearly shows a deep crack within the Patriots front. After their tumble in 2008, the Patriots resolved to support a single candidate for the 2012 presidential nomination to battle, especially Dr Nduom if he should decide to go for a re-run.

But the overbearing posture of Prof. Akosa, who sources have hinted to lead the Patriots unopposed, is setting some of its members on seething anger and has therefore decided to contest the CPP presidential slot on their own.

The CPP running mate in the 2008 election, Dr Abu Foster Sakara, and Bright Akwetey, all core members of the Patriots group have indicated their intentions to contest the party’s presidential slot.

The group is pushing for an immediate congress although the situation on the ground suggests that there are no structural indications that there is a party called the CPP. They are still holding on to the dogma that a party does not necessarily needs funds to do its activities if indeed they have convincing message.

Other elements in the party have however countered strongly that the CPP would require a solid financial background, if it wants to stake any meaningful claim in the 2012 election.

In the estimation of the Akosas, the ideological posturing of the CPP were enough to get Ghanaians on board and invariably consider them as the only potent and credible alternative to the NPP-NDC duopoly.

The group, prior to the 2008 election made it abundantly clear that it would not offer support to any other person except their own, especially in the presidential election. Expectantly, the Patriots recoiled and refused to support the party’s presidential candidate in 2008.

They also concocted all manner of stories against the party’s presidential candidate in the run-up to the 2008 election. The idea was to get the Electoral Commission to disqualify the CPP flag bearer in anticipation that their own who placed second in the party’s presidential primary would have picked up the slot.

As the grand deception failed to impress even the most uninitiated, the group led by Prof. Agyemang Badu Akosa went overboard touring all constituencies and asking CPP members and supporters to work for the party’s parliamentary candidates and forget about the presidential election.

Some members of the group who at some circumstances were called upon by the party to offer some financial assistance to the 2008 campaign team came back to collect their monies.

But as all these ploys failed to hinder the progress of the CPP as was witnessed in the grand September 21, 2008 rally at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, a last minute ditch effort by the Patriots indeed hit the CPP and its campaign team.

That was when the party’s Youth Organiser and the Women’s Organiser staged a last minute coup against the party’s presidential candidate. Many voters who were bracing themselves up to offer the CPP a try gave up with some, as our investigations have shown, refusing to vote at all in the 2008 election.