CPP: 20 contest flagbearer, national positions

All is set for the national congress of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) on Saturday, August 22, 2020.

Unlike in previous congresses, where delegates congregated at a venue to elect national officers and the flagbearer, the party has decentralised this year’s congress to be held at regional centres as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The party has approved the candidature of 20 stalwarts of the party to contest the flagbearership and national office positions.

Format

Per the schedule of activities of the party, the congress will be held at the regional level, with each region setting up election centres.

Nine delegates from each constituency are expected to cast their votes between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. on August 22, under the supervision of officials of the Electoral Commission (EC).

Per the new arrangement, all the delegates are expected to cast their votes at the designated regional centres, after which they will immediately return to their constituencies.

Officials of the EC supervising the voting will collate and declare the final results and communicate same through the party’s communications channels.

Voting centres

Delegates in the Ashanti Region will cast their ballots at the Asawase Community Centre, while those in the Eastern Region will cast theirs at the Koforidua GNAT Hall, with those in the Oti Region voting at the Nkwanta Social Centre.

The World Vision Conference Hall is the centre for those in Volta Region, with delegates from the Central, Western and Western North region casting their votes at the Ajumako School of Languages, the Takoradi Lagoon Hotel and the Sefwi Wiawso Methodist Church premises, respectively.

For delegates in the Ahafo Region, they will cast their ballots at the Goaso Catholic Church, with those in the Bono Region voting at the Sunyani Tropical Hotel; Bono East at the Nkoranza Benji Hotel, while delegates in the Northern Region will cast their ballots at the Tamale Regional Library.

Those in North East will vote at Nalerigu Ashbarika, while those in the Savannah Region will vote at the Damongo Mahama Guest House.

The Wa Regional Library will serve as the voting centre for delegates in the Upper West Region, the Bolgatanga Catholic Social Centre for those in the Upper East, with those in the Greater Accra Region voting at the YMCA at Adabraka.

There will be another centre at the party’s headquarters for national executives, members of the Council of Elders and other party gurus.

The headquarters centre will also serve as the monitoring and collation centre, where a representative of the EC will declare the final results.

Candidates

Three individuals have been approved for the flagbearership, while 17 others have been approved for the various national positions, such as National Chairman, National Vice-Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer, National Organiser, Women’s Organiser and Youth Organiser.

Although at the close of nominations no candidate had filed for the position of National Treasurer, the extension of the deadline to August 3 afforded two individuals the opportunity to file to contest the position.

For the flagbearership, a former General Secretary of the party and 2016 presidential candidate, Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, will slug it out with a four-time flagbearer hopeful of the party, Mr Bright Oblitei Akwetey, and a newcomer, Rev. Dr Divine Ayivor.

The acting National Chairman of the party, Hajia Hamdatu Ibrahim Haruna, will seek to become the substantive Chairman, but she has to battle it out with Nana Oduro Kwarteng, Mr Kweku Ankrah Quansah and Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Sarpong Kumankuma.

For the vice-chairmanship, Messrs Onsy Kwame Nkrumah, Emmanuel Ogbojor and J.B. Daniels will go unopposed as the First, Second and Third Vice-Chairmen.

Mr James Kwabena Bomfeh, aka Kabila, is seeking to move from being the acting General Secretary to the substantive General Secretary, a position which is also being keenly contested by a former Director of Public and External Affairs of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Nana Yaa Akyempim Jantuah.

Two individuals — Messrs Moses Yirimanbo and Rashid Allao — are vying for the position of National Organiser, while the incumbent Women’s Organiser, Hajia Aisha Sulley Futa, is being challenged by Ms Rose Endah, with Messrs Solomon Amponsah and Osei Kofi Acquah vying for the Youth Organiser position.

Inauguration

The new executives will be sworn in at the CPP headquarters on Tuesday, August 25, 2020.

The Chairman of the Interim Organisation Committee (IOC), Mr R.O. Frimpong-Manso, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that time was not on the side of the party, hence the need to quicken the pace of organisation.

That, he said, would also propel the party to an election mood for the recapture of political power by the CPP.

He, therefore, pleaded with all contestants to rally behind the winners and the party, so that in unity, the party could perform wonders on December 7, 2020.

Background

The CPP was originally scheduled to hold its national delegates congress in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region on March 27 and 28.

It opened nominations from February 6 to 28, 2020.

However, on February 27, 2020, the eve of the closing of nominations, the party was served with a suit, compelling the leadership to postpone the filing of nominations and the date for the congress.

The suit centred on an alleged bank account opened by some national executive members on behalf of the party and the manner in which regional elections were held in the Central, Oti, Volta and Western regions.

On July 2, 2020, the High Court accepted the terms of a consent judgement, including the setting up of a five-member IOC to superintend the holding of the congress.

The IOC then scheduled the congress to August 15, 2020, but it was again rescheduled to August 22 due to the celebration of Homowo in the Greater Accra Region on August 15, 2020.