US embassy cable - 04ACCRA1986

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 001986 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2014 
TAGS: ECON, GH, PGOV 
SUBJECT: GHANA'S ELECTION:  NKRUMAH LIVES ON IN THE CPP 
 
 
Classified By: PolChief Scott Ticknor for reasons 1.5 (d and e). 
 
1.  (C)  Summary:  Charge hosted a lunch on October 1 for 
Convention People's Party (CPP) presidential candidate George 
Aggudey and two of his lieutenants.  They highlighted 
Nkrumahist ideals of self-reliance, state-run industry, and 
"African solutions".  Aggudey was unhappy with what he saw as 
the dominance of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 
pre-election campaign and did not see a role for foreign 
observers.  The CPP has only one seat in parliament and is 
unlikely to be much of a player in the December 7 elections. 
End summary. 
 
2.  (U)  On October 1, Charge and Poloff hosted a lunch for 
George Opesika Aggudey, presidential candidate from the 
Convention People's Party (CPP), CPP National Chairman Edmond 
Delle, and CPP General Secretary Nii Noi Dowuona, to discuss 
upcoming national elections.  Charge noted that we were 
having similar meetings with other political parties. 
Background 
---------- 
 
3.  (SBU)  The CPP was founded in 1949 by former President 
Kwame Nkrumah and still espouses a distinctly Nkrumahesque 
view of the world.  The CPP sees itself as a mass party 
representing farmers, fishermen, and the villages.  It 
endorses a strong role for the state and a vision of 
Pan-African empowerment  The CPP won less than 2 percent of 
the vote in the 2000 elections and has only one seat in 
parliament (the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament).  In the 
first half of 2004, four prominent CPP leaders ("the Gang of 
Four") urged voters to vote for them on a CPP ticket but vote 
for the NPP's presidential candidate.  Although they were 
threatened with suspension from the party, the CPP 
Disciplinary Committee recently reinstated the "Gang of 
Four".  Aggudey is lawyer and CEO of Gold Crest Security 
Services.  He is reported to have problems with some CPP 
old-timers, who doubt his leadership abilities. 
 
Through the CPP Looking Glass 
----------------------------- 
 
4.  (C)  Aggudey and his colleagues underscored the need for 
a large state role in Ghana's economy.  They insisted they 
were not anti-business and would not want to nationalize 
industry.  However, businesses should locate outside Accra to 
bring jobs to more rural areas.  The state needed to fill the 
gap where private industry has failed.  Ghana needed to 
improve its self-sufficiency, they said, recalling proudly 
that Ghana used to make its own shoes and light bulbs instead 
of importing them.  When asked what he saw as Ghana's 
comparative advantage in industry, Aggudey highlighted the 
potential for beer production.  Ghanaians "lack a sense of 
permanent interests" and need to return to "African 
solutions".  The CPP would like to redirect and redistribute 
resources.  As for foreign aid, "you are wasting money on 
us".  The CPP seeks a more even redistribution of educational 
resources.  Aggudey said he would block all Ghanaians from 
receiving visas to the U.S. as a measure to stem the brain 
drain (CPP National Chairman Delle argued for improving the 
job opportunities in Ghana as a better approach to the 
issue.) 
 
The Election:  The Elephant is a Giant 
-------------------------------------- 
 
5.  (C)  Aggudey said he was not happy with the election. 
The NPP is using its incumbency to tip the scales, he argued. 
 "It will take a long time before the word fairness can be 
used in Ghana", he proclaimed, concluding that "The NPP has 
gone from an elephant to a giant, out of control." (Note: 
the elephant is the NPP party symbol.  End note.)  The CPP 
had been well received on the campaign trail, he contended, 
noting that he had visited 160 constituencies and planned to 
reach the remaining 70 in the coming months.  The CPP was 
hampered by logistics but confident it would do well. 
Aggudey dismissed the friction over the "Gang of Four" as "a 
thing of the past" exaggerated by opponents to divide the 
CPP.  He expects a peaceful election, noting that for the 
first time the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the CPP 
are talking and joking with each other  The CPP would not 
join a proposed coalition with other smaller parties and 
would play a key role in what Aggudey saw as a likely run-off 
election.  When asked what role foreign observers could 
usefully play in the election process, Aggudey quipped "What 
would they do?," since any possible manipulation would likely 
occur before election day or would be difficult to detect. 
Too much money had been spent on the Electoral Commission and 
the election process, he said, arguing that donor money would 
be better spent strengthening political parties and election 
financing. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
6.  (C)  Delle and Dowuona were articulate, if antiquated and 
convoluted in their views.  Candidate Aggudey, on the other 
hand, was incoherent, with little grasp of issues.  He is 
disliked by some within the CPP, which has hampered the 
party's fundraising abilities.  We do not see Aggudey or the 
CPP as a significant player in this election, except perhaps 
if there is a run-off round (as happened in 2000). 
 
 
LANIER