Controversy Rocks Cape Coast CPP

Cape-Coast -- THE LAST minute decision by Araba Bentsi Enchill, the national vice chairperson of the Convention People's Party, to file her for nominations to contest the party's primaries for the Cape-Coast constituency, sparked off controversy that led to the postponement of the exercise.

Initially, there were two contestants, namely Mr. Samuel Oduro and Mrs. Aba Fletcher and the delegates last Saturday had come to elect one of them, only to learn that Bentsi Enchill was also contesting.

A hot debate ensued among the members such that, the constituency chairman, Mr. Harry Ebenezer Mensah, had to calm the rising storm.

According to Mr. Mensah, Bentsi Enchill had employed the services of two constituency executives to lobby Aba Fletcher, who had been tipped to win the primaries, to step aside for her to contest the parliamentary seat on the ticket of the party. But the agitation of most of the members pointed to the fact that Bentsi Enchill serves as national vice-chairperson, as well as regional chairperson, and they wondered how she could work efficiently for the party to win the December elections.

But the eloquent lady argued that, despite the fact that she had a national assignment, that did not mean she should boycott her home though she could do better to assist the people.

Bentsi Entchill added that there was the need to pick somebody who had been tested before and for that matter, she qualified for that.

Also, the primaries which had been postponed to this Saturday, was to enable all the three contenders have a level play field to ensure peaceful primaries.

Bentsi Enchill, who had in a previous interview with the paper said she was not prepared to contest in the primaries because of her heavy schedule, told this reporter that she could not withstand the pressure from some of the elders of the town who had convinced her to contest for the parliamentary seat in this year's election.

As to whether she could win the primaries, she said, she had already won it.

The CPP regional chairperson polled 800 votes during the 2000 elections when she contested as the CPP parliamentary candidate for the area.

Although Bentsi Enchill, who is believed to be the backbone of the party in the constituency, had expressed the confidence of emerging the winner of the primaries, the paper's investigations suggest that Aba Fletcher could pull a surprise.

Meanwhile, the constituency chairman said the CPP, as an old party, had a lot of sympathizers in the municipality and his outfit was working around the clock to make the party much stronger than before.

Madam Felicia Aba Coffie, 74, a delegate who had come to cast her vote, told this reporter that the CPP was a government that united the country and that Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was able to deliver whatever he promised the people of Ghana.

Madam Coffie, who had put on a scarf with the design of Nkrumah and whose voice had become hoarse as a result of old age, expressed the faith that the CPP presidential candidate, George Opesika Aggudey, would perform wonders than Nkrumah.

She therefore urged all Ghanaians to rally behind the CPP presidential candidate to win the election.

She said, even though all her children were followers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, she would forever remain an Nkrumaist.