Kumasi, July 22, GNA - The Ashanti Regional branch of the Convention People's Party (CPP), has called for the removal of the entire national executive of the party from office. The continued stay in office of the current executive members, it said, was counter productive to the party's pursuit to stage a come-back.

This was contained in a statement issued and signed by Mr Samuel K. Danso, Regional Chairman, in Kumasi on Wednesday. The statement took a swipe at the national officers for failing to organize the planned stakeholders meeting to deliberate on the causes of the party's poor performance in last year's general elections. "Ever since the current executives were given the mandate in 2007, they had done little to improve on the party's internal structures and resources which had impeded the CPP's progress at the grassroots". The statement said several attempts by the regional offices of the party to get the executives to raise funds for the branches to garner support for the party had failed.

It pointed out that their lukewarm attitude had deprived the party of the needed financial resources.

The statement accused the executive of not communicating the party's activities to the regions and constituencies, which made those areas unaware of the direction of the CPP. It appealed to the Council of Elders to act promptly to address concerns raised by members from the other regions. "The executives are behaving as if the entire CPP machinery is based in Accra as they have virtually centred all activities in the nation's capital," it said.

It recommended that an Interim Executive Committee should be constituted to run the affairs of the party and speed up the process of organizing an early congress to choose the party's flag bearer for the 2012 polls.

The statement expressed optimism that an early election of the flag bearer would help the party to work harder at the constituencies to garner more support. It said the national officers were to blame for the party's abysmal performance in the last elections and that there was no need to keep them.