The Youth Wing of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) has identified strong parliamentary participation and representation as a tool to wrest power from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, in the 2012 general election.
The youth has therefore called on members of the CPP to contest for parliamentary seats, to increase its representation in the legislature.
Mr Francis Opai Tetteh, Deputy National Youth Organiser of the party disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency, in Accra, at the end of a candlelight vigil, organised to commemorate the overthrow of the Government of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah on February 24, 1966.
The vigil, was to rekindle the “purposeful organizational spirit of the CPP,” and also, to strengthen the structures of the party towards the attainment of its objective of winning political power in 2012.
Mr Tetteh said the party’s one seat slot in parliament was an indictment to CPP’s political ambitions and capabilities and called on the rank and file of the party to “visit their constituencies to contest, in order to give the party a facelift”.
He said Ghanaians had ‘tasted’ and distinguished the ‘political flavour’ of both the NDC and the New Patriotic Party and had concluded that they were the same.
“CPP is the alternative to restore Ghana to its rightful place on the map.”
Mr Tetteh said the vigil was to remind the elders in the party to make a strong petition to the ruling government to restore confiscated buildings and property belonging to the CPP.
According to him, the current Ministry of Information building, which served as the headquarters of the CPP, was built by the party’s members of parliament, who contributed 10 per cent of their salaries towards the building.
The vigil, which was heavily patronized by the youth of the party, also saw the leadership as well as the rank and file of the party in attendance.
Also in attendance was Ms Eva Lokko, former Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Ekow Duncan, shadow Minister for Political Affairs and Dr Edmund Dele, a former chairman of the party.