The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) has hit hard at its ex-Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembele in the Western Region, Freddie Blay, for crediting the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), as having wholly helped him thrive in Parliament, while on the ticket of the CPP.
“NPP helped me a lot when I wanted to be in Parliament. Without the NPP, I would not have made it”, Mr. Blay who is the owner of the pro-NPP Daily Guide newspaper, told Okay FM, Accra-based radio station.
His admission, some say is a slap in the face of the party, founded by Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, on whose ticket, he Mr. Blay was blessed to have stood on in Parliament for many years, until he was embarrassingly defeated in 2008 by now Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah.
In an interview on Okay FM on his quest to contest the Vice Chairmanship slot of the NPP, he intimated that he has always been a team player within the NPP and so he is contesting to win to enable the party govern Ghana properly from 2016, after wrestling power from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to the ex-First Deputy Speaker in the Fourth Parliament, he needed to be grateful to the NPP, for their immense support during the time he was aspiring to be MP.
NPP in 2004 and 2008 gave its unflinching support to Mr. Blay to contest the Ellembelle seat on the CPP ticket without feeding a Parliamentary candidate in that constituency. He won that of 2004 but had the odds against him in 2008 after he was caught dancing the famous Kangaroo dance, which was adopted by the NPP as its 2008 campaign.
The CPP in the Ellembelle Constituency which is the hometown of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah felt betrayed and was infuriated. More so, Mr. Blay, openly refused to support the CPP 2008 Presidential candidate, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom with his campaign. He also refused to use the cockerel which is the symbol of the CPP on his billboards and campaign posters.
Speaking to The Herald yesterday on the CPP’s reaction to Mr. Blay’s admission, the Deputy Communication Director, Ernesto Kofi Yeboah described Mr. Blay as an “opportunist” who is ranting to gain recognition and acceptance in his new found party.
According to Mr. Yeboah, the CPP did not want to waste it’s time on Mr. Blay, since he claims to have resigned from the party.
“You know he is no longer in the CPP, so we are not interested in whatever he says. He just wants to be accepted in the NPP that is why he is talking like that. It is a ranting of an opportunist”. That is his problem, he retorted.
The CPP Communicator, stressed that the party had no time to discuss Mr. Blay, but was quick to add that Mr. Blay would be known by his Constituents from where he served for many years and the larger Ghanaians, owing to his own utterances albeit confession.
Mr. Yeboah, who revealed the attention of the CPP is critically focused on winning the war against Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), said the CPP will leave everything to the judgment of Ghanaians saying, “The people of Ghana are watching, his Constituents are also watching and they have seen it too”.
Meanwhile, the former First Deputy Speaker has admitted on TV3 that he became a member of the NPP seven years ago at a time when most Ghanaians, including his Constituents saw him as the CPP’s Parliamentarian.
This means that even before he publicly announced that he had resigned from the CPP, he saw himself and worked for the NPP, whiles carrying himself as the CPP Parliamentarian.
According to Mr. Blay, he deserved to be voted for as Vice Chairman for the NPP, because he worked for the NPP when he was known to be a member of the CPP.
Mr. Yeboah, who watched his former party member live on television laughed over Mr. Blay’s revelation and sarcastically encouraged the NPP to elect him if they believe he could be trusted.
“Hahahahahahahahahahaha……. NPP, please vote for Freddy Blay for me wai. I just finished watching him on TV3 telling Ghanaians how he worked against the CPP, whilst he was still a member of that party… He is a great guy”, he posted on his facebook wall.
Mr. Blay, who once served as the Second Deputy Speaker in Parliament, under the Jerry Rawlings government, had been part of a group of CPP supporters, who believed their party should go into a merger with the NPP and get some Parliamentary seats in return.
The group, which included Kweku Baako, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, Mike Eghan among others who were feeding fat from NPP largesse, was also of the view that the CPP should not put up a Presidential candidate, but to give its support to the NPP Presidential Candidate.
The merger discussions were short down by another group led by the Managing-Editor of the Insight Kwesi Pratt Jr.