<<Print>>

An Economist and a member of the Convention People�s Party (CPP), Dr. Nii Moi Thompson has advised the leadership of the party to look for practical ways to pursue �our Nkrumahist ideals� after the abysmal performance in the 2012 and past elections. �The picture that is emerging is rather taking two steps forward and one step backward, and for me it�s time for us to either choose to continue to be sentimental or be practical and look for the best ways to pursue our Nkrumahist ideals. The CPP obtained only 20,000 votes, representing less than one percent of the total valid votes cast in the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. The CPP�s Member of Parliament for the Jomoro Constituency, Samia Nkrumah also lost her seat. The Party will thus no longer have representation in Parliament. The leadership of the party has since blamed their poor performance on the polarization of the political landscape in the country. Dr. Thompson has however suggested that for the CPP to remain relevant in Ghana politics, it should consider a merger with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) which has its roots in the CPP. �The other option is to continue to remain sentimental because for all practical purposes, it appears that our political space is jelling around two main political traditions; the NPP tradition and the Nkrumahist tradition� because the foundation of the CPP has been co-opted into the NDC.� According to him, the core foundation of the NDC �was made up of CPP people and also the CPP legacy. If you look at the time we returned to civilian rule and it�s largely been dwelt upon that.� Dr. Thompson further noted, that some persons in the NDC emerged from the CPP including, �the current President himself; President Mahama obviously comes from a CPP family, his father was a member of the Nkrumahist cabinet, the late President Mills himself even went to the Geological Institute, Hannah Tetteh, there�s a whole range of them.�