Pressure mounts on CPP leadership to postpone Congress date

March 28, 2011
Accra, March 28, GNA - Organised groups within the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), have mounted pressure on the national leadership of the party to postpone the National Delegates Congress slated for April 29 and 30 due to inadequate groundwork.

Scores of some leading members of the Tertiary Students Charter (TESCHART), Youth and Women's Wing, and Regional and Constituency Executives, who called on the Ghana News Agency on Sunday, said after carefully analyzing the party's constitutional arrangements for organizing National Delegates Congress, the April 29 and 30 timetable was unattainable.

The CPP Constitution mandates organization of ward, constituency and regional conferences to elect executives before a National Delegates Congress.

"This a mandatory prerequisite for a National Delegates Congress…we have not conducted a third of our Ward, Constituency and Regional congresses throughout the country, yet we are pushing for April 30th," TESCHART leader stated.

Some aspiring candidates also complained about the lack of clear timetable for the April 30 Congress, "We don't know when they will open nominations, the New Patriotic Party also goes to Congress on April 30th, they have a clear timetable, open nominations, aspirants have filed and vetting underway.

"CPP aspirants for the April 30 Congress on the other hand are still walloping in the dark…the date must be rescheduled for effective organization," a Member of the Eastern Regional Executive stated.

The GNA enquires indicated that the CPP National Executive Committee members were divided over the suggestion to adjourn the April 29th and 30th Congress dates.

Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle, former CPP National Chairman and Leader, appealed to the current leadership to postpone the proposed date to either June or the end of July this year.

The Former National Chairman explained that a minimum of two weeks was needed to organize ward and constituency congress; another two weeks for regional elections; and about two weeks for opening of nominations for National Executive Office aspirants.

He further indicated that about a week would be required for vetting of aspirants; in accordance to CPP norms constituency conferences must follow after all the branches had been duly organised and the list of members attending the branch general meeting and constituency conferences compiled.

Prof Delle said photographs of delegates to the regional conference must be taken and the records sent to the national secretariat to facilitate the drawing up of the congress register, all these must be done before a national delegates congress.

He, therefore, appealed to the National Executive Committee of the party to re-examine the April 30 time schedule and make the necessary adjustments to pave the way for a successful congress.

GNA