CPP rocks Kwesimintsim
The Convention People’s Party (CPP) took its mop-up campaign to the Western Region with a rally that brought Kwesimintsim alive.
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A downpour made the rally, planned for the day, to be held in the night, but it did not prevent hundreds of supporters from waiting, listening and cheering on their presidential and the parliamentary candidate—one seeking a comeback for a party that was last in power in 1966 and another for a comeback to Parliament after 1996.
In the twilight of the election campaign, the CPP is optimistic that a mop-up tour of the region could boost its electoral fortunes.
Fun galore
At Kwesimintsim in the Kwesimintsim Constituency, many mobbed the presidential candidate, Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, for more than 45 minutes. It had to take the police to bring order.
When he finally climbed the steep stage—a disability-unfriendly set-up-- where the party hierarchy was seated, the crowd roared in excitement.
It was a night of carnival as huge speakers dished out the party’s campaign song with the crowd dancing and singing along.
The party’s executive who were present included its National Chairman, Prof. Edmund Delle; the Second National Vice Chairperson, Madam Susan Adu-Amankwa; the National Campaign Coordinator, Mr Rashid Alao; and some regional and constituency executives.
Disability not inability
When the fun was out of the way, Mr Greenstreet, who for the first time spoke about his disability on a campaign platform, told the cheering crowd (on a day also set aside by the United Nations to raise awareness of disability) that disability was not inability.
It was a statement to dispel the notion that he could not become President because he was in a wheelchair.
No to NDC & NPP
He accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of disabling Ghanaians, taking away their jobs, destroying the educational system and health care and neglecting roads.
Mr Greenstreet also boxed the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) with same accusations and insisted that the change Ghana needed was not to bring back the NPP, as it was not the best alternative.
Parliamentary candidate
To make a case for the former Member of Parliament, Nana Abakah, who is seeking a comeback, the CPP presidential candidate eulogised him by saying, “God has brought a man. A very strong man, a very educated man, very determined man, a man who understands your problems and a man who has solutions to all the problems in Kwesimintim.”
“We are on our knees before you, this December 7, stay close to him, stay close to the red cockerel, go to the ballot box and vote for Lawyer Abakah,” he said amidst wild cheers from the crowd.
Mr Abakah said the downpour earlier was an indication of God’s blessing for the constituency and good fortunes for the CPP.
He said the CPP had no match when it came to development projects as it had history of the achievement of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to back its claim.
“It is the responsibility of the government to develop the country and ensure that the wealth of the nation benefits all its citizen. The CPP is not a party that promotes a culture where just a few people will be satisfied with protruding tummies while others go hungry,” Mr Abakah added.
“The CPP believes in equal opportunities and equity in the sharing of the national cake to bring improvement in the lives of all,” he stated.
He lamented the high employment rate in the country, particularly in his constituency, and insisted that only the CPP had a lasting solution to the problem.
Touting himself as an agent of development, he enumerated his numerous efforts in the past, which he said ensured that access roads were created throughout the constituency.
Earlier, Madam Adu-Amankwa said Ghanaians were aware of all the NPP and the NDC could do.
“We are not changing to go back to the NPP. No, we are changing to move forward with CPP, that is what our country needs now.”
She said voting out the NDC was not impossible, as in Gambia, it took courageous citizens to kick out the country’s President, Yahya Jammeh, who had been in power for 22 years.
She also dismissed the perception that the CPP was not attractive to the youth but rather a party for oldies.
Meanwhile, the party has moved it campaign trail to the Central Region where it will hold rallies in the Efutu and Awutu Senya constituencies.
