CPP failure in 2008 Election

….Ladi accuses Kabila, Hamdatu,Akosa

National Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ladi Nylander, has categorically stated that the party’s national youth organiser and the national women’s organiser must be held responsible for the party’s abysmal performance in the 2012 general election.

He insisted that the actions and inactions of Kwabena Bonfeh, otherwise known as Kabila, and Hajia Hamdatu, two weeks to the 2008 election contributed immensely to the party’s downfall.

The national chairman made the observation on Joy FM in Accra yesterday during the station’s Super Morning Show.

In the opinion of the chairman, who is feverishly campaigning to retain his chairmanship seat, but for the utterances of the duo, the CPP would have made a significant impact in the 2008 election by garnering at least 13 per cent of the votes.

“And if not for that disgraceful attitude of the national youth organiser, women’s organiser and other senior officials who ran around with all sorts of allegations at the time against our flag bearer, we would have made a meaningful impact in the election”.

… Because, prior to their behaviour all opinion polls during the period had predicted at least 12 to 13% for the CPP,” the chairman stressed.

Meanwhile, underground scouting by Today indicates that Kabila, Hamdatu and Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa are in league with Samia Yaaba Nkrumah, who is contesting Mr. Nylander for the chairmanship position.

Today sources understand that the three (Kabila, Hamdatu and Prof. Akosa) are bent on seeing Mr. Ladi fail in his bid to retain his chairmanship position.

“I can tell you on authority that Prof. Akosa, Kabila and Hamdatu and all in the camp of Samia Nkrumah, and therefore working against Ladi Nylander,” a staunch CPP member who pleaded anonymity, told Today.

Some CPP stalwarts who spoke to Today shortly after Ladi’s interview on Joy FM indicated that Kabila and Hamdatu’s actions as they called into the programme ‘clearly showed that they are unrepentant and not ready to show any remorse in their actions during the 2008 which cost the CPP.

On that score, Mr. Nylander added that the conduct of Mr. Kabila and Madam Hamdatu at the time made him believe that they have been influenced by ‘enemies’ of the party who, he said, are bent on seeing the CPP fail to take its rightful position in Ghana’s politics.

“We have every reason to believe that our camp was infiltrated and those with no credibility and the future of the party at heart fell victims. And that is what this time around some of us are working hard to avoid,” Mr. Nylander bluntly stated.

But what had initially turned out to be a relatively decent discussion became acrimonious when persons the chairman had accused of wrongdoings started calling into the programme.

Madam Hamdatu was the first to get through with her call and challenged the national chairman to strict prove his allegations by producing evidence. As she puffed on the phone, the national women’s organizer accused Mr. Nylander of supervising the sharp decline of the party’s electoral fortunes.

She, therefore, expressed regret about the comments of the national chairman and questioned his willingness of uniting the party after its impending national congress, which is expected to come off later this year.

“I am highly disappointed in our national chairman this morning for accusing me of taking money. What he is saying is absolutely false because I did nothing wrong on the eve of the 2008 to cause the party’s poor showing”, Madam Hamdatu furiously stated”.
As if by grand design, shortly after Madam Hamdatu had finished, speaking, Kabila also joined the programme via phone and took his chairman to the cleaners.

In a harsh tone, he said Mr. Nylander was being ‘disingenuous’ in his answers to the host of the programme with the intent of inciting followers of the party against those he (the chairman) sees as threat to his chairmanship bid.

Later, failed CPP flag bearer aspirant in 2008, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, also called into the programme to calm down nerves, but that did not prevent him from saying Mr. Nylander is not the right person to lead the CPP to electoral victory.

Prior to the fierce disagreements, the national chairman contended that the party was working hard at the grassroots level to ensure that it becomes the alternative government in 2012.

Although Mr. Nylander was not emphatic on the exact date the party would be going for congress to elect its national officers as well as the flag bearer, but said plans were afoot to get the two congresses organized successfully.