Mahama Explains PNC's NCPP Snub

It is because the Convention People's Party (CPP) and the National Reform Party (NRP) campaigned for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Bimbilla by-election that the People's National Convention (PNC) will not merge with those self-professed Nkrumahist parties.

Dr. Edward Mahama, leader of the PNC who made the disclosure to Chronicle in a telephone interview cited the acceptance of positions in the NPP government by Prof. George Penyin Hagan and Dr. Kwesi Nduom who are CPPists as a further proof that the CPP is serving the agenda of its opponent, and compromising Nkrumah's ideology.

Dr. Mahama had been reached yesterday to explain his withdrawal from the unity talks at the countdown to the planned merger of the Nkrumahist splinter groups.

Eventually, the CPP and the NRP joined to form the New Convention People's Party (NCPP) with the PNC and Dan Lartey's Ghana Consolidated People's Party withdrawing.

Contrary to Dr. Mahama's reasons, the acting Greater Accra Regional Secretary of the NCPP, J.A. Attoh intimated to Chronicle that the exclusion of the PNC in the new arrangement was due to its failure to meet the inter party co-ordination committee , a coalition of the leaders and the flag bearers of the three parties, when the time was due for them to propose a name for the united party.

However, he said efforts are being made by the committee to make PNC join forces with them so as to present a united front to be able to contest for the 2004 elections.

Asked why they maintained CPP as part of the proposed name, he told Chronicle that the CPP, since its inception, has a unique tradition compared to the other parties as it is noted worldwide.

'Maintaining the name CPP will enable us retrieve the properties which were seized by the Afrifa administration after the overthrow of Nkrumah's government,' he asserted.

In an analysis of the ruling NPP, Mr. Attoh argued that it is "not a traditional party," but a coalition of tribal youth movement in those days until when Dr Kwame Nkrumah declared that political party should not be formed on the bases of ethnical background.

This he said facilitated the youth movement to come together as a United Party (UP).

He noted that the augment that the name CPP is not relevant in the modern polities as such they should do away with it does not hold.