Isaac Essel
13 May 2008
Accra — Mr. Ladi Nylander, National Chairman of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) has told ADM that he believes that Dr. Nduom is the best person among the presidential candidates to lead the nation.
He was speaking in reaction to one of his party's leading member's Mr. Freddie Blay's endorsement of the NPP presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo.
The CPP has since threatened to deal with Mr. Freddie Blay, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and CPP Member of Parliament for Elembelle Constituency. It is expected that any time from today, the CPP's Disciplinary Committee would come out with what it intends to do with Mr. Blay for going against his party's position. Sources say it is also possible he may lose his position as the CPP parliamentary candidate.
Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, the CPP presidential candidate told the ADM, "I really don't want to say anything on it, it is a serious party matter and I believe the party is handling it the right way."
Mr. Blay, at the expense of his party last week endorsed NPP's Nana Akufo-Addo as the best candidate who must be voted for to lead the country. He was speaking at an NPP rally at Aiyinase in the Western Region.
The party Chairman Mr. Ladi Nylander said Mr. Blay's action is in contrast with the party's position, and it is therefore not taking it "very kindly".
He said, "What he has done is very much at variance with the CPP and we don't like it. The Disciplinary Committee of the party will be meeting shortly to take an official sanction against him."
Mr. Nylander said, "That is not the party's position, secondly Freddie Blay is a sitting MP, he is not yet the CPP candidate for 2008 elections. Thirdly, last week we said we were in talks with the Peoples National Convention to present one Nkrumaist front and we stated categorically that this alliance does not include the NPP or the NDC."
Though he could not tell the kind of sanction the Disciplinary Committee will mete out to the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, he said Mr. Blay's call "prejudices the CPP position".
When reminded of the 'skirt and blouse' in 2004 involving three CPP parliamentary candidates including Dr. Nduom and Mr. Blay, he said "this is 2008, 2004 is gone and whatever happened is dead and buried. I wasn't the national chairman in 2004."
The party, he said, "is heading in a new direction, the new executives have new ways of doing things and we want to enforce strict party discipline, so we are dealing with what has happened in the light of conditions in 2008".
Mr. Nylander recounted the party's congress last year where Mr. Blay was one of the ardent supporters of Dr. Nduom in his bid to lead the CPP in the elections.
"I don't know why he has done this, he is the best person to tell us," he said.
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