CPP to register members on biometric platform

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) is to register all its members onto a biometric database system and issue them with biometric identity cards to facilitate easy mobilization.

The move is to also establish a creditable database of true identity of members of the party, as well as improve on the collection of membership dues to support party activities.

Ms Samia Nkrumah, Chairperson of CPP announced this at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party held in Tamale on Saturday.

The NEC meeting, which is in line with the party’s constitution, was to determine dates on which the party would this year hold polling station, constituency, regional and national elections, to elect executives to run the affairs of the party for the next four years.

In attendance were regional executives of CPP from all the 10 regions, including its 2012 Presidential Candidate, Dr Abu Sakara, CPP 2012 Presidential Aspirant, Mr Bright Akwetey, and CPP only Member of Parliament, Mr Moses Yahaya.

Ms Nkrumah said the biometric registration of members of the CPP forms part of reforms to revitalize the party to break the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party’s dominance in the country’s political arena.

She said there was lack of commitment and loyalty on the part of some members of the CPP, which was the cause of the party’s low visibility in the country’s political space, thus leading to poor performance at the polls in 2012.

She expressed surprise about why CPP scored zero votes at some polling stations when its (CPP) polling agents at those polling stations supposedly voted.

Ms Nkrumah called on members of the CPP to re-dedicate themselves to the ideals of the party, saying it would soon embark on education of its members on CPP’s political ideology, to boost mobilization to win power.

She reiterated the CPP’s opposition to the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement, the Genetically Modified Organisms and the passage of the Plant Breeders Bill, saying they do not offer good opportunities to Ghanaians.

Mr Ivor Greenstreet, General Secretary of the CPP, recounted that lack of enough preparation, and logistics and finance, and fragmentation of the Nkrumaist front, affected CPP’s performance in the 2012 general election.