News:
September 11, 2011
The new chairperson of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) Samia Yaba Nkrumah has rejected calls on her to relinquish her seat as a Member of Parliament if she wants to build a solid party.
Though the party’s constitution allows her to stand as an MP and double as the chairperson of the CPP, political analysts say combining the two roles would adversely affect her intention to improve the structures of the party.
But Samia Nkrumah, who is the daughter of Ghana’s first president Dr Kwame Nkrumah, told Joy News’ Sammy Darko that combining the two would not be onerous for her to handle.
“There are Ministers who are Members of Parliament; what is the problem? They can still get to do the work.
“I don’t have any other business; I am not a businesswoman, I am not running a company, so I am totally committed to reviving the Nkrumaist tradition; so I do have the time.
“And if you look at England, the Prime Minister is the leader of his party and he is a Member of Parliament.”
Describing as a war, the political atmosphere the CPP finds itself, as the 2012 election approaches, she reiterated that the two would not be a handful because “one will enhance the other”.
She stressed that with time, someone would be mentored to takeover from her, noting that “for 2012 we believe I am the best person to retain the seat”.
Since 2000, all the parliamentary seats won by the CPP were made possible due to the support of either the New Patriotic Party or the National Democratic Congress, an “infiltration”, which she said has cost the CPP dearly.
Samia Nkrumah called on all CPP members to “subdue their ego” and pull their resources together because election 2012 would be “very tough”.
She said the party’s focus is to revive the grassroots structures of the party, look for dynamic person who can canvass for votes for themselves and CPP’s presidential candidate.
Source: Myjoyonline.com