Nduom�s Boys Fight Akosa

As the main political parties in the country, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) prepare for the 2012 general elections, acrimony, accusations and counter accusations rather appear to characterize the front lines of the Convention People�s Party (CPP). This negative development in the party has become apparently clear due to the strong response by the party�s 2008 Presidential candidate, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom�s, campaign team to the party�s former presidential aspirant, Professor Agyemang Badu Akosa, following his comments about the CPP 2008 political campaign on Metro TV recently. Prof. Akosa was reported to have said that CPP is fine but it chose the wrong leaders at the 2007 congress and that a one-man show campaign in 2008 general elections led to disastrous results for the party. The whole CPP 2008 campaign, according to him, was a media hype and that there was a disconnection between the Presidential candidate and the constituents, adding that the party will go to congress soon to elect better executives to re-organise the party. But, these comments, according to Dr Nduom�s team, were not true and that �the CPP must ignore the Akosas of this world and decide firmly not to rush to congress,� adding that Prof. Akosa has been going round telling influential people lately that the CPP does not have money to properly organise the party form the polling station. They said �Prof. Akosa and others decided after the 2004 elections, that they did not like the CPP that was there then and so decided to form what they called �CPP Patriots� whose leaders were accused of being professors, lawyers, medical doctors, and business people with big titles. According to them, the CPP went to congress in 2007 and voted for Dr Nduom �and this is what Prof. Akosa and his supporters cannot reconcile themselves with Prof. Akosa and his supporters say the delegates were bribed. Indeed, the delegates at the congress will confirm the fact that it was the Akosa Patriots who gave pieces of the Kwame Nkrumah cloth and money to the delegates. They took those gifts but voted with their conscience.� On the issue of the one-man show, the CPP 2008 Presidential candidate campaign team said many other high profile party members joined Dr Nduom to campaign throughout the country, citing the Ashanti Regional Chairman, Mr. S.K. Danso, the Greater Accra Chairperson, Susan Adu-Amankwah, the Central Regional Chairman, Mr Edu Ansah, former Presidential aspirant, Dr Kwaku Osafo among others who contributed immensely to the campaign. Prof. Akosa, they maintained, has hidden the fact that �the CPP�s 2008 Presidential candidates, Dr Nduom, accompanied by the Second Vice-Chairman of the party and National Campaign Chairman, Mr Benyarko and Mr David Ampofo went to his hose to specifically ask him to join the campaign, Akosa refused.� When the time came for a running mate to be chose, they said, he personally called Prof. Akosa who was then in London twice to ask him if he would be interested in being a running mate but �again Akosa refused.�