Thursday, October 06, 2016

CPP YOUTH CHASE IVOR’S RUNNING MATE

By William Yaw Owusu
Thursday, October 06, 2016

A purported comment by the vice presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) Nana Gabby Nsiah Nketiah that he is still a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has incurred the wrath of some youth of the CPP.

They are asking the ‘NPP’ man, who would partner Ivor Kobina Greenstreet in the December 7, presidential election to either join the CPP ‘fully’ or quit the party.

Nana Gabby Nketiah, 73, a former ambassador to South Korea under the previous Kufuor administration disclosed that he is still a card-bearing member of the opposition NPP which is a traditional archrival of the CPP.

He said he was still a member of the NPP in good standing.

Mr Nketiah told a private television station GHOne Television that he did not see anything wrong with being a member of the NPP, saying “Yes, I am a card-bearing member of the NPP, I have not denounced my membership of the party yet. The thing has just begun, this is not new.”

“Few years ago, some NPP leaders including myself and former President Kufuor went to the house of the late Mr. Arkaah to be our running mate and he agreed to do it even though he was not a member of the NPP, so there is nothing wrong with it.” he explained.

However, the CPP youth, in a statement jointly signed by Jason Tutu and Hardi Yakubu, Head of Communications and Students Command and Youth League Secretary respectively, expressed their utmost disgust at some “utterances and demeanour of the recently appointed vice presidential candidate of the Party, Mr Gabby Nketia.”

“While it is obvious that Mr. Nketia is of NPP extraction, his association with the Nkrumahist fraternity in his youthful days are not in doubt. That is the reason why many in the CPP decided to welcome him home, irrespective of his NPP leanings. The general belief was that he had renounced his NPP membership and rejoined the CPP.”

“However, recent utterances from Mr. Nketia point to the direction that he wants to eat his cake and have it. It must be made clear that the CPP is in no official alliance with the NPP towards election 2016.”

“As such, at no point should a card bearing member of the NPP, who insists on his membership of the NPP at every turn be occupying the very high position of vice presidential candidate in the CPP. Going into an election where all political parties require unity of purpose and of conviction this development can only amount to the CPP cutting its own nose to spite its face.”

“As such, the youth require of Mr. Nketia to renounce his NPP membership publicly and with immediate effect and don fully the gown of CPP. It is only his full proclamation of membership and acquisition of a CPP party card that will render him one of good standing to occupy the position of running mate to our party's presidential candidate.”

The youth asked the party’s leadership “to immediately reign in Mr. Nketia and ask him to comply or exit.”
 
“It is rather disappointing that such basic issues were not resolved with him before announcing his appointment.”

“In any case, is there no credible bona fide CPP member who is qualified to be running mate? Or is this another calculated attempt to publicly ridicule the party?  The party Chairman, Edmund Delle, must take immediate steps to resolve this imbroglio. Otherwise Mr. Nketia should be immediately withdrawn as the vice presidential candidate.”

“If our demands are not met, we will have no alternative but to resort to mounting ceaseless pressure on them to appeal to their sense of propriety.”






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