Politics of Thursday, 25 March 2004

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CPP Will Win 150 Seats!

The Chairman of the Convention People?s Party (CPP), Dr. Edmund Delle, says the party intends to win at least 150 parliamentary seats in the December elections.

According to Dr. Delle, the party has put in place a strategy to increase its representation in Parliament from the current since MP to 150 MPs. This means that Dr. Kwame Nkrumah?s party will abort the NPP?s dream of increasing its majority in Parliamentary to 140 and also take away a sizeable number of seats from the opposition NDC. But the CPP leader, when asked about the strategy to deliver the ?knockout blow? to the leading parties says ?we should keep it secret.

According to him, the party stands a good chance of repeating the feat it achieved in 1979 when the Nkrumaist People?s National Party (PNP) swept the polls. In 1979, we had nothing but we swept the polls. We started from zero and we took over the government. As we stand now, 150 seats are clear for us, he asserts.

Dr. Delle told The Statesman that his party would take the nation by surprise when it wins the elections in December. He claims his tour of the countryside has revealed that the CPP enjoys massive support in the grassroots, especially among the youth. We are firmly on the ground and determined to deal a severe blow to the other parties, he says with confidence.? On the nagging issue of the CPP being dominated by elderly people, he says the party cannot function well without the septuagenarians and octogenarians. The elders are the spirit behind the party. They guide us from behind,? he emphasized.

The CPP chairman reiterated his party? commitment to the United Nkrumaist front. According to him, the CPP still believes in forging a common front with all Nkrumaist splinter groups, saying that the party?s doors are wide open to welcome them. He however, explains that nobody should set conditions for their re-entry. ?Nobody should hold us to ransom. They should come without pre-condition,? he stressed.

Dr. Delle, who described the NPP?s performance as ?below expectations?, said the CPP will restore the dignity of Ghanaians. He sated that the electorate are disappointed with the NDC and NPP and that the time is ripe for a CPP government to take over the rein of government.

While conceding that the party?s finances are not very health, Dr. Delle insists that the goodwill the CPP enjoys will raise the needed funds for the campaign. ?We all need to join hands to restore the glory of the CPP through cash and kind,? he said. The CPP Chairman said reports reaching the CPP Headquarters from party executives in the regions revealed other lapses and logistics problems that affected the performance of the exercise and made it far from being excellent. He therefore appealed to the Commission to extend the period to ensure that all eligible Ghanaians are offered the opportunity to register.