DPP Goes To Congress

THE Democratic Peoples’ Party (DPP) will this weekend hold its third national delegates congress at the Arts Centre on the High Street in Accra.

About 460 delegates are expected to converge to elect a flag-bearer for the party to contest the December general election.

The delegates will also use the occasion to elect national executives for the DPP in the next four years.

Muhammad Salisu Salaimana, General Secretary of the party, in an interview with the Times yesterday said that three people have filed to contest the flag-bearership of the party.

They are Thomas Nuako Ward-Brew, 66, leader of the party, Albert Eshun, 39, a tutor at Mpraeso Secondary School and Lovia Amponsah, 51, popularly known as Dormaa Yaa Asantewaa, from Wanufie in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

Mr Sulaimana said seven people have filed to contest unopposed for the various national executive positions.

He said the first and second chairmanship positions, general secretary and its deputy organiser, women’s organiser and youth organiser are all up for grabs.

He mentioned Nii Otu Otoo from Weija, Accra, deputy general secretary, Kojo Rockson, 42, of Anomabu in the Central Region, organiser, Eunice Banson, 35, from Ajumako Enyan Essiam, womens organiser, Mathias Boateng, 30, from Ellembele in the Western Region youth organiser as those who have filed to contest unopposed so far.

Mr Sulaimana said he will also contest for general secretary and added that all those who filed to contest the various positions including the flag- bearers did so free of charge.

Asked how the DPP will fund their congress considering the fact that even leading political parties collected fees from those aspiring to contest on their tickets, all the general-secretary could say was we will do it. We are on the ground .

We will field candidates in all the 230 constituencies. About 50 percent of them are already awaiting the opening of the filing of nominations by the Electoral Commission.

He said since 2000, the DPP has contested every by-election held in this country adding it tells Ghanaians how organised and formidable the DPP has been .

Mr Sulaimana further said that this time around the DPP will not leave anything to chance in fielding a Presidential candidate for the December election saying we tried in both 2000 and 2004. In the first instance, NDC placed a court injunction on our candidate while in the second the EC said we were out of time in filing our nomination .

He said Ghanaians are now fed up with both the NDC and NPP administration and the only alternative to ensure rapid development will be a DPP administration.