Aggudey accepts Akosa’s entry

The Presidential Candidate of the Convention People's Party (CPP) in the 2004 general election, Mr. George Oposika Aggudey, has described as welcome news the decision of Professor Agyemang Badu Akosa, a former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), to stake a claim for the party's presidential slot.

''I have accepted the challenge of Prof. Akosa to contest me and other who are yet to declare their intentions to vie for the party's flag bearer position. This is refreshing and welcome news which augurs well for internal-party democracy for the CPP,'' he said.

Reacting to the news conference which at which Prof. Akosa declared his intentions to vie for the position of the flagbearership of the CPP for the 2008 general election, Mr. Aggudey declared ''I am already leading the pack of candidates who want to bear the flag of the CPP in the 2008 polls.''

According to him, it was his wish that more credible personalities would join the fray to decide who decides the flag bearer of the party in the 2008 polls.

''The decision of persons who profess to Nkrumahist to join the race also amply demonstrates that the CPP has become attractive and also has the brightest chance of wrestling political power from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), he said.

He explained that the doors of the party were opened for those desirous of contesting the various elective positions in the party but cautioned that delegates of the party were aware of personalities who had contributed in diverse ways to enhance the fortunes of the party over the past decade as well as those whose activities had seriously undermined its efforts to register its impact on the country's political scene.

Mr. Aggudey said the litmus test for aspirants to positions in the CPP would be loyalty and commitment to the ideals of the party, and ones financial contributions to its development.

He said the party's leading functionaries and the rank and file were also aware of those who ''ate in the kitchen of ruling government and defended their positions'', stressing that all those factors would go a long way to decide who becomes the presidential candidate or national executive.

The 2004 CPP flag bearer further explained that the party members were also aware of those who campaigned either clandestinely or openly against the party's presidential candidate in the 2004 elections and were patiently waiting to hear whether such personalities would vie for positions in the CPP.

''The lessons of the 2004 polls are still very fresh in the minds of party members across the country. They have not forgotten those who indulged in vile campaigns against the party's elected presidential candidate,'' Mr. Aggudey said.

He said those who thought that the members of the party could be taken for granted must be mistaken since such members would show them their true colours and their disdain against them when the CP held its congress.

Mr. Aggudey reiterated that his commitment towards the development of the party remained firm and resolute, stressing that '' as of now I have single handedly rented about 200 offices for the CPP throughout the country''