General News of Wednesday, 26 July 2006

Source: GNA

Boakye-Gyan retires from active politics

Tema, July 26, GNA -- Major Kwadwo Boakye-Gyan (rtd), former member of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) on Wednesday declared his intention to retire from active politics.

In a press release, issued on Wednesday, the retired Major, also known as Osahene Boakye-Gyan said he entered into talks with friends, associates and family members and arrived at the decision which takes immediate effect.

In January 2006, Major Boakye-Gyan announced his intention of seeking the nomination to become the presidential candidate of a merged Nkrumaist party.

According to him, at that time, the talks for the merged party were far advanced as an agreement had been secured for the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) as the name of the merged party.

"The hope then that by now the merged party would be up and running and has in fact no chance of being fulfilled within a realistic-time frame before the 2008 elections".

"It is against this background that Osahene disclosed his intentions to retire from active politics to his close associates, friends and family members".

Major Boakye-Gyan said both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which he describes as conservatives and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) liberals are not options for him because he hails from the progressive Nkrumaist tradition, "which is so hopelessly divided".

He indicated that none of its constituent party's action alone can make meaningful impact during the up coming 2008 elections.

"Therefore, that state of affairs within the Nkrumaist family gives me no meaningful room to manoeuvre politically, hence the decision to retire from active politics.

He however, said his friends, associates and family members who have closed ranks and rallied behind him insist that there could be a way out of the deadlock and now locked in a series of meetings in search of that exit route.