Aggudey is a disaster - Kweku Baako

MR. KWEKU Baako, Editor-in-Chief of The Crusading Guide newspaper and an outspoken member of the Convention People's Party (CPP) has gone to town, damning the prospects of sanctions against him by the party's Central Committee for his alleged uncomplimentary remarks against its Presidential Candidate, Mr. George Opesika Aggudey.

Speaking to The Chronicle in an interview, Mr. Baako admitted having made statements on various radio stations on the CPP and its flag bearer, which might be considered distasteful to the leadership of the party and even detrimental to Mr. Aggudey himself, but said these were personal comments.

At no point in time, he said, had he proclaimed himself a spokesman of the party or told the electorate not to vote for the party and its flag bearer as being rumored by elements in the party hierarchy and others in the NDC.

He said he still held the view that he had not breached the constitution of the party in terms of expressing opinions about Ghanaian politics.

He disagreed with those who thought he was being unfair to the flag bearer by failing to promote him as he does the incumbent President.

“Yes, I am not promoting the chances of the flag bearer of the CPP in the forthcoming elections because, indeed, he himself has no chances”, he retorted.

“I can predict that it will be worse with George Aggudey, as the Presidential candidate of CPP simply because he does not shine.

He has no charisma. I mean he is a disaster of a choice,” he charged.

Mr. Baako, continued: “Gentleman, put this out there in print that I am not convinced that George Aggudey can make any impact in the coming election. In the 2000 elections, I went public that (Prof.) Hagan will not win and that the CPP was not ready and I was attacked except that they did not drag me before the disciplinary committee. It is a paradox that today Hagan is with me in the same gang to be dismissed.”

He insisted that he saw nothing wrong with his observations about the political fortunes of the CPP, which would warrant possible sanctions and indicated that it was unfortunate that elements in the CPP wanted to sacrifice him for Mr. Aggudey.

“I started hearing of Aggudey only three or four-five years ago. People want to fight battles on behalf of Aggudey to sacrifice Kweku Baako; I welcome it.

They can dismiss me. I will not challenge them. They said the constitution says we should back the candidate. I don't know when they changed the constitution to mean that.

It is constitution, I will not challenge that.”

Baako said he was not bothered by the central committee's decisions and his possible dismissal, adding that if the leaders thought that he was an irritant to them, they should quickly dismiss him.

“The very day my dismissal is announced (a week after that), the CPP leadership will run into a rat hole, and I will smoke them out like Saddam Hussein was smoked out,” he threatened.

Mr. Baako said the CPP was the greatest tradition in Ghana's political history but added that currently the party was weak and there was no way that it could win either the parliamentary or Presidential election. What the party could, however, to strengthen its chances for the future he suggested, was to work hard enough to increase the parliamentary seats from the present one to about ten and build on it from there.

“The CPP is the greatest tradition in the Ghanaian political history with the potential to win future elections. If the party has the strategic minds, it will re-grow, reinvent and re -create itself to win future elections.”

Asked whether he will vote for the CPP despite the controversies, he said: “I will vote the CPP parliamentary candidate in my constituency. But for the presidential, I will vote for President Kufour. I voted for him in 1996, when we were together in great alliance. I voted for him in 2000 when we were not in any alliance. I will vote for him this year. Indeed I will go out and campaign for him.”