Confusion rocks CPP as national officers are removed from office ...But Council of Elders member describes decision as unconstitutional
Confusion has rocked the Convention People’s Party (CPP) following the decision taken by the National Executive Council (NEC) to remove all national executive officers of the party at a meeting held in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital last Tuesday (December 5, 2023).
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The decision followed a petition tabled at the meeting to compel all national executives of the CPP to either voluntarily resign or be removed over their alleged incompetence.
Consequently, a vote of no confidence was then passed in all national officers which led to a misunderstanding during the meeting.
Interim Council
The party at the same meeting appointed a 13-member Interim Council (IC) comprising regional chairmen, a member of the council of elders, regional secretaries, regional organisers, and some representatives of women and the youth to steer the affairs of the party.
They are Alhaji Ali Adamu; Gallo Emmanuel; Godwin Opare Addo; Semefa Mawutor; Eben Agbenya; Alhaji Issah Sibiru Islam; Abdul Salam Issah; Mariam Munkaila Futa; Ebenezer Tetteh; Dr Akwesi Bosompem Boateng; Elijah Adams; Kose Dedey ; Kwame Nkrumah Botsio with three co-opted members as Aisha Futa, Moses Yirimambo Ambing, and Osei Kofi Acquah.
A statement signed and issued by the Secretary to the IC, Kwame Nkrumah Botsio, explained that the delegates of NEC, were clothed with the requisite power under the party’s constitution to appoint an IC to steer the affairs of the party.
“The Party calls on all Ghanaians to come on board to take it to the commanding heights that its citizens have fought for, for many years. We know we can count on your support, and rest assured, the Great CPP will abide by its major founding principle of putting the country and its citizenry first in all endeavours and decisions,” the statement said.
Resignation
When that decision was announced, the General Secretary of the party, Nana Yaa Jantuah, resigned from her position. She announced her resignation in an interview with the media shortly after the meeting in Kumasi.
Unconstitutional
The Vice Chairman of the Council of Elders of the CPP, Christian Yao Zigah, has described the decision to declare a vote of no confidence on all national executives as an affront to the dictates of the CPP constitution.
He said the council had nullified the decision and called on all party members and sympathisers to ignore the said statement purporting to have declared a vote of no confidence on the national officers.
A statement signed and issued by Mr Zigah in Accra yesterday said as a representative of the Council of Elders at the said meeting, he witnessed all that happened and added that the said NEC meeting which was supposed to have nullified the position of national officers was carried out without due process as per Article 82 of the party’s constitution and therefore it was null and void.
Mr Zigah in the statement indicated that the voluntary resignation of some national officers at the NEC meeting was purely their personal decision and was therefore valid as such.
He, therefore, urged all party members to remain calm as the Council of Elders worked to resolve the challenges that had confronted the party.