CPP
lags behind in preparation for Elections 2008 –
Patriots
Accra, Nov. 30, GNA – The Patriots, a pressure
group in the Convention People’s Party (CPP), on
Thursday bemoaned the lack of preparedness of
the Party for Election 2008 saying it lags
behind other political parties, especially the
ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main
opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in
arrangements for the vote.
“Our political competitors appear to be ahead of
us with overflowing ‘war chests,’” a statement
signed by Naa Kordai Assimeh, Coordinator of the
Patriots, said.
“The NDC has set date for selection of its
presidential candidate two clear years ahead of
the general election. The NPP has also set in
motion mechanism for the selection of its
presidential candidate, but on the Nkrumaists
front there is an absurd silence,” the statement
said.
The Patriots said it was time the Party’s
Leadership came up with the plan of activities
towards a National Delegates’ Congress to elect
a presidential candidate, who should be marketed
for at least one-and-a-half years to the
Elections.
The Patriots called on the Leadership of the CPP
to urgently organize an emergency Central
Committee meeting to discuss and lay out plans
for Election 2008.
A timetable of the Patriots said the CPP
Leadership should immediately launch an
organizational programme for wards elections by
February 2007 while Constituency elections
should be held in March 2007.
Regional Executives elections should be held by
the end of April 2007, it said, adding that this
would set the pace for the National Delegates’
Congress in June 2007 to select a presidential
candidate and build a quality leadership team
capable of supporting and marketing the
flag-bearer.
“Alongside such a plan, we expect the Party
Leadership to launch a detailed organizational
scheme that should include all the relevant
elements, namely the structures, systems and
procedures designed to guide the new set of
leadership teams across the country after the
elections for efficient politicking.”
The Patriots noted that even though the
timetable was vital towards the CPP capturing of
the seat of government in Elections 2008, it may
not be adequate in both scale and depth if the
Party failed to set its organizational machinery
in place to win back the confidence of its
sympathizers to swell up its support base.
It, therefore, called on Party activists to
actively participate in moves to reorganize the
Party’s structures and prepare it for battle in
Election 2008.
GNA
