IS NDUOM DESTROYING OR BUILDINGTHE CPP?

Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom is reported to have said in Sekondi that the CPP was the best alternative to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC), since the two parties had failed to impress Ghanaians. Dr Nduom made this statement when he met CPP party officers and functionaries of the Western Region on March 7 at Fijai, a suburb of Sekondi.

I submit that the CPP will become the best alternative to the NPP and NDC if Paa Kwesi will leave the party and go and form his new party he calls the Movement. What he is doing within CPP is undemocratic and unprincipled. He should follow Fred Blay and the rest of the “skirt and blouse” gang to leave CPP alone.

Paa Kwesi Nduom has by deed and word shown that he is only using CPP as a vehicle to serve his selfish interests rather than the interest of the party and that of the people of Ghana. Let me elaborate with some few examples of what Paa Kwesi Nduom is up to by deed and word.

In his Independence Day press statement published on March 7, 2011 on the ModernGhana portal (viewed on March 8, 2011 at http://www.modernghana.com/news/319348/1/a-call-on-the-youth-to-lead-the-new-independence-m.html), for example, Paa Kwesi states:

“I will assist, encourage, counsel and support the efforts our youth put in to make this New Independence Movement work for all our young men and women. You can join or organize this Movement wherever you are. Consider yourself a member if you are doing all you can make full use of your talents. Consider that you are a member if you organize ten, twenty or more young people who will also work to make our nation freer and more prosperous. On the political front, consider yourself a member of this New Independence Movement if you are preparing yourself to become a member of a Unit Committee, District Assembly or Parliament.”

Is this New Independence Movement a new political group or a parallel youth structure within CPP? If it is a parallel youth structure within CPP, who authorized its creation?

Here are two other instances of what Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom has been doing. His surrogates urged CPP members in the North Hohoe constituency in the Volta Region to join his Movement. In fact agents of his Movement are reported to have organized ward elections at the back of the constituency chairman, an act which is currently being repeated in the Central Region. After a ward election in the North Hohoe constituency the agent asked the newly elected officers to constitute themselves into “the Movement” which is being formed across the country. Why does Paa Kwesi want to control the electoral process within the CPP and who gave him the authority to organize elections for the CPP with his Movement?

Those opposed to the underhand tactics of Nduom view the current party chairman has a lot to answer in congress, if not then the party must be prepared for a protracted court case bounded on illegalities in as far as elections in the CPP are concerned. They contend that they will not sit aloof and let Paa Kwesi Nduom select an electoral college for the party, knowing that he himself has a vested interest! Neither will they allow this Movement to surplant the CPP turning it into what Paa Kwesi Nduom stands for. CPP is not for sale, they assert.

Why is Paa Kwesi Nduom urging CPP members to join or constitute themselves into the Movement? He has been doing similar things in the Jomoro constituency in the Western Region as well several constituencies in the Central Region.

Paa Kwesi Nduom is believed to be the person behind the efforts by the former constituency chairman of the Jomoro CPP to conduct elections to choose the constituency's new executives on February 18, 2011. The former constituency chairman had resigned from the position in 2010, and he, therefore had no legal standing to call a meeting to conduct elections on behalf of the party. The police had to stop the former chairman from conducting the elections as he did not have any authorization from the CPP to conduct the affairs of the party. It is alleged that Paa Kwesi Nduom and other leaders of party did not only give money to the former chairman to conduct the elections, but someone was sent from Accra ahead of the election day to engage in a smear campaign against the CPP's only parliamentarian, Hon Samia Nkrumah, MP for Jomoro. Why is Paa Kwesi Nduom and his gang out to get Samia Nkrumah? Ever since Samia announced her intention to seek the national chairmanship position of the party, Paa Kwesi Nduom, has mounted a smear campaign to deny her from becoming the chairman. Not only is he trying all the tricks in the trade (except for the use of the 'shit-bomb') to even unseat her in the 2012 parliamentary elections. Didn't the CC charge the existing constituency executives to conduct their elections? Does Paa Kwesi Nduom have any intentions of contesting for the chairmanship position? Why is he everywhere about these ward and constituency elections within CPP?

Is Nduom still organizing the fishermen as he claimed the last time he stirred up trouble in Jomoro? Why is Paa Kwesi Nduom bent on making sure Samia lose the Jomoro seat - the only seat CPP has now?

Paa Kwesi Nduom is doing this not only in Jomoro, but he is all over the place with his Movement. In the Cape Coast constituency, without first conducting ward elections, some Movement members announced constituency executives filing period had been closed, and all the Movement members who filed for constituency executive positions of the CPP had been declared unopposed. This undemocratic process of side-stepping the current constituency executives, who are required to conduct elections, has sparked off tension within the CPP in the Cape Coast constituency.

When others go round to campaign, they are accused by the leadership of CPP as going round to create parallel structures, yet Nduom's Movement is not seen as a parallel structure. Why has Ladi Nylander closed his eyes to all these activities of Nduom? Is this a league to destroy the CPP for some paymasters out there?

In the previous elections in 2007, Paa Kwesi Nduom snubbed elected officers of the party, bought cars for those officers he had supported in the north in local elections who lost, rather than supporting the efforts of the elected officers. This for instance sparked conflict between himself and some organizers in the north in an election year costing the party badly in the votes.

The CPP national office in Accra is poorly organized. For example, at a youth session at the University of Ghana on Sunday, March 6, the Deputy National Youth Organizer of the CPP, Opae Tetteh indicated the head office of the party did not have the contact information for the constituency organizers of the party. That discrepancy had made it very difficult for the elected national youth organizer and the deputy to reach out to the youth and other members of the party. Yet Paa Kwesi Nduom asserts that he has more than 10,000 fans on the social media network- Face book, with whom he interacts on regular basis to sell out the policies of the party to them. According to him, the national executives of the party also interact regularly through the Internet to share ideas about how to move the party forward.

Are any of Paa Kwesi's 10,000 fans on the Facebook from Ahamadongo or Beponta villages in the Odoben Brakwa Asikuma constituency in the Central Region where there is no Internet access and the mobile phone is always “out of the coverage area”? Apparently the national executives of the party interact only among themselves through the Internet from their personal laptops as the party head office does not have any working computer. Is the party leadership not out of touch with the grassroots? Is this how the party is being made viable to contribute to democratic governance in the country?

Dr Nduom said he was prepared to support the party financially even though he had not been elected flag bearer for the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary elections and asked others to emulate his example in the best interest of the CPP. "I have already contributed in various ways to support the national executive committee and I'm prepared to do more to make the party more vibrant and attractive to the electorate," he said. But money to the Movement to Paa Kwesi is money to the CPP as it is and has always been.

Paa Kwesi, money is not the only answer to everything wrong in the CPP. You come across as being paternalistic and over-bearing. You seem to behave that it's your way or no other way. That behavior spelt doom for the party in 2008 elections. You have not changed your ways of using the party to serve your selfish interests. If Samia Nkrumah loses, as you have been trying to do her in, the harm you will cause will rebound on the integrity, legitimacy, and, therefore, the performance of the party.

Paa Kwesi Nduom asserts that “if the party failed to put its house in order and avoid acrimony, mudslinging and work as a united front, it would remain in opposition forever.” Paa Kwesi Nduom should be the first to practice what he preaches for he is perceived as the most divisive and cantankerous individual in the CPP. People wish Paa Kwesi Nduom would go away from the party with his unprincipled and self-serving “skirt and blouse” strategy.

Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, is perceived as the main source of the internal dissent that is spilling out to the general public. He is perceived as endeavouring to control the party with his money. That contributes to the lack of transparency and accountability that was grossly displayed by the Chairman and the treasurer at the party's NEC meeting in January.

At the NEC meeting in January the Chairman of the party praised Paa Kwesi Nduom for contributing GHc15,000 to the central office and that he also paid for the filing fees for 218 candidates who contested for parliamentary seats in the 2008 elections. The Chairman completely left out the contributions of the other people that contributed resources to keep the party alive. Representatives after representatives at the NEC meeting took to the floor praising Samia Nkrumah for her contributions. She is not the only financial contributor to the party as CC members are required to donate at each CC meeting. It is learnt Mr. Aggudey has made a handsome contribution to the head office through one Mr. Dadzie. Why would Aggudey not give the money to the treasurer?

The treasurer was unable to properly present the accounts of the party at the NEC meeting. When questions of clarity were asked, he stood there, at times blank, at times sifting through the documents until the Chairman intervened to unsatisfactorily answer the questions. This happened several times before it was decided that the accounts needed to be reviewed again.

The CPP in Scandinavia more than once has donated items and equipment worth thousands of cedis to the party yet none of such items can be accounted for today. Party cars have become personal property of the property owners in the party who refuse to allow young and new members to join the party and make contributions, hence the high filing fees. Dues collected cannot even be accounted for properly by the Chairman and his crew supported by the money bags of Dr. Nduom.

The filing fees brouhaha is the symptom of the "one-man show" Dr. Nduom is accused of, as he is perceived to have turned many people in the CC into "yes-sir" people with his money. Even though high filing fees are being demanded to finance the National Congress, what is the estimated budget for the Congress is not known. Is the Congress going to be held at one venue (which is more expensive) or is it going to be at the regional centers (which may be less expensive). At one venue, delegates from all over the country will have to travel to that venue and provided with room and board and transported around. How much did it cost the party in 2007 to do that? Won't it be cheaper if delegates went to the regional centers where many can travel in one day for the congress and save the party from providing accommodation, room and board and transportation? Why doesn't the party use the existing constituency and regional executives for National Congress? Why is the party seemingly conducting a charade of elections at these levels?

By not allowing for open discussions within the party about how to conduct the Congress, it is perceived that Paa Kwesi and his handful of "yes-sir" people have contributed to public brouhaha now.

Does the party even have a good tally of who is a party member and who is not? Or the movement can do that for the party? Nduom claims he registered 400,000 voters during the 2008 elections. He could not garner even 150,000 votes. Did he really register that many people? Where is the evidence that he registered that many voters for the CPP?

Paa Kwesi Nduom's tactics of using money to get his way was a fiasco at the national level as the party got only 1.3% of the votes in 2008 for him. It will not work this time around either.

On unity among the Nkrumaists, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom has declared that unless the CPP and the People's National Convention (PNC) merge, he will not be part of the CPP's activities in the 2012 elections.

In an interview with the Times, Dr. Nduom said the only thing that would compel him to continue to be part of the CPP was when members of the two parties in the regions and constituencies ignored the leadership and merged into one party. “For me, it is a make or break affair as far as politics is concerned, if it works out fine, it is these mediocre and selfish interests who are not ready to sacrifice for this to happen”, he said.

Dr. Nduom said Ghanaians wanted to vote for a party that was capable of winning power in order not to spoil their votes, so he would not waste his time on a fragmented political tradition. Yet, all signs indicate that Paa Kwesi Nduom is intensifying and deepening the fragmentation of the CPP. Instead of organizing to make the unity happen, Paa Kwesi is rather urging people to join his nebulous Economic Independence Movement.

What Arthur Kennedy wrote about Paa Kwesi Nduom is very telling. In his book, “Chasing the Elephant into the Bush,” Dr Arthur Kennedy accused Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom of deceiving the NPP, after he (Nduom) served under President Kufuor in the NPP government for so many years.

At page 142 of his book, Arthur Kennedy said, "Within a few hours after the results were announced, I learnt that Nana Akuffo-Addo had contacted Dr. Ndoum. While we were in Kumasi, the two exchanged phone calls and my impression from Nana Akuffo-Addo was that Dr. Nduom would be supportive. We heard that he was on his way to Ho to campaign for us. When he finally got there, Dr. Nduom talked of 'Nduom for 2012.'" The physician turned politician, Arthur Kennedy stated, "The part of Dr. Nduom's reflection that should concern us is his implications that people voted in response to financial inducement. He compounds this by implying that if he had resources, he would have done the same.”

Did Paa Kwesi Nduom talk to the NPP on his own behalf or on behalf of the CPP? Who in the CPP authorized him to talk with NPP? If he talked with the NPP on his own behalf, did Paa Kwesi Nduom think he could just command the CPP rank and file to vote one way or the other because he was the flagbearer? What benefit would have been gained by the party for unilateral action?

It appears the CPP will become the best alternative to the NPP and NDC if Paa Kwesi will leave the party and go and form his new party he calls the Movement. He should follow Freddy Blay and the rest of the “skirt and blouse” gang to leave CPP alone.

In conclusion, all CPP loyalists need to be vigilant and look out for those calling themselves the Movement. They are not CPP members; they only want to replace the CPP and its ideology with their “Nduomism”.

Forward Ever! Down with the movement! Long live the CPP, Nkrumah Never Dies!