By A. B. A. Fuseini

A FORMER Presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Andrew Kwame Pianim, has resigned his membership of the party. Sources close to Mr. Pianim indicated that his decision to quit the NPP was contained in a letter he wrote to the national leadership of the party dated January 20, 2000.

According to sources, Mr. Pianim, whose quest to lead the NPP to the 1996 general election was dashed by a 3-2 split Supreme Court decision baring him from contesting for the high post of the land, indicated in his resignation letter his unhappiness with orientation and the trend of affairs in the party.

Mr. Pianim who during his brief quest for flagbearer position of the NPP championed the position of a united political alliance of opposition political parties to challenge the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for power, is reported in his resignation letter as saying that the NPP leadership as presently constituted is not committed to such an ideal. The party, he is reported as saying, is drifting ever further away from the ideal thus undermining its prospects for an electoral victory in this year?s general election.

This, it is said, stems from his belief that none of the political parties as presently constituted, is strong and virile enough to wrestle political power from the ruling NDC. Mr. Pianim is also said to harbour some displeasure at the lack of clarity of the position of the party leadership on a united country and a reconciled nation which according to him, are vital to the peace and stability of the nation and will prevent Ghana from sliding into disorder and instability as pertains in some countries of the sub-region. The source also indicated that Mr. Pianim who is keen to play the role of a conciliator amongst the major political forces and actors, is not happy that he has been sidelined and not given any prominent role in the current scheme of things in the party. When this reporter made contact with the headquarters of the NPP at the weekend to verify the matters, there was no national officer to comment as they had all left for Kumasi to attend the Ashanti Regional Delegates congress of the party.