The Convention People’s Party (CPP) on Tuesday celebrated 69 years of its formation. Founded on June 12, 1949, the party was the first to win an election in Ghana following the attainment of independence from the British in 1957.
The party was founded by the late Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who became its first leader to have won power to become the first President of this nation.
Subsequently, in 1979, a stock of the CPP tradition under the leadership of Dr Hilla Limann of the People’s National Party (PNP) won the election in the Third Republic.
Dwindling fortunes of CPP
However, with the advent of the Fourth Republic, the electoral fortunes of the tradition has suffered continuous setbacks as it has repeatedly failed to unite and make a major impression at electoral appearances.
Some schools of thought have attributed the declining fortunes of the party to the inability of its members to come together to present a united front.
Presently, under the leadership of Prof. Edmund Delle, the CPP is trying to put its house in order in preparation for a stronger comeback in election 2020.
Prevailing mood of country
Addressing a press conference prior to the cutting of an anniversary cake at the party’s headquarters in Accra yesterday, Prof. Delle, said the destiny of the country was imperiled, hence there was the need for a re-awakening of the virtues that underpinned the aspirations of the nation under its first President.
He recounted that before a teeming crowd of some 60,000 people 69 years ago in Accra, Dr Nkrumah launched the CPP, adding that those who gathered on that day were expressive of the prevailing mood of the country that Dr Nkrumah should break away from the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC).
The alternative proposed was the formation of a party that would unite the country in a single voice to “demand self-government now through a non-violent programme of Positive Action”.
“Sixty-nine years after our Founder, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, led us to victory, an independent nation with the right to determine her own destiny, the challenge of living up to his vision and expectations remain ever so defiantly,” Prof. Delle reminisced.
Keeping spirit high
Prof. Delle, therefore, applauded the efforts, commitment and dedication of party leaders and members at the national, regional and constituency levels that had kept the spirit of the tradition alive all these years.
According to Prof. Delle, the ideals of Dr Nkrumah and the CPP were relevant now more than ever to the sorry state that the country was currently in.
“On this 69th anniversary of the founding of the party that liberated our country from the shackles of colonial subjugation, I call on all Nkrumaists to unite for a new challenge to liberate Ghana once again, this time not from foreign rule but from the shackles of corruption and failed leadership,” he urged.
Prof. Delle also announced that a committee would later be constituted to draw up a detailed programme for a massive 70th anniversary of the party next year.
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Daily Graphic
