Wa, Nov. 26, GNA - Regional and constituency executives of the Peopl= e National Convention (PNC) and the Convention People Party (CPP) in the Up= per West Region have declared their support for the unification of the two parties before the 2012 general election. They have resolved to support members who are committed to unifying the two parties and who are offering themselves as candidates for national executive positions of the two parties. "We have reached the conclusion that unless our two parties unite immediately we will be unable to reverse what is likely to be an irreversible decline", they said. The Regional and Constituency Executives made the declaration in a joint communiqu=E9 they issued at a forum organised by "Nkrumah Rising", a movement within the Nkrumaist family, in collaboration with the Upper Wes= t Regional branches of the PNC and CPP in Wa. The forum, which brought together Regional and constituency executiv= es and other leading members of the Nkrumaist fraternity in the region, was under the theme: "Our revival begins with unity". The communiqu=E9 noted that since 1992 there had been five unsuccess= ful attempts to unify all the Nkrumaist political parties. This, the communiqu=E9 said, was done without the effective involvem= ent of those at the grassroots level. "We have therefore resolved to take up the initiative and irrevocabl= y commit ourselves to the unification of the PNC and the CPP before the nex= t general election in 2012". The communiqu=E9 advised the two parties to elect separately nationa= l executives who would share in their firm determination to unite before 20= 12. These executives, the communiqu=E9 said, would then negotiate with e= ach other in good faith and unite the two parties legally. "We believe that crunch issues such as name of the united party, the=

united party's symbol among others could be resolved where mutual respect=

prevails and self-interest set-aside." The communiqu=E9 declared the Upper West Regional and constituency executives' support for the candidature of Dr. Samia Yaba Nkrumah, CPP Member of Parliament for Jomoro, for the position of Chairman of the CPP. "We are convinced of the genuineness and sincerity of her commitment= to fight for unification if she wins the Chairmanship of the CPP". The communiqu=E9 indicated that their revival could only begin with the merger of not only the PNC and the CPP but also all other parties with Nkrumaist antecedents such as the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP)= ..