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Founder member and 2012 presidential candidate of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, has extended best wishes to the Convention People’s Party (CPP) as the Nkrumaist party gets ready to elect a flag-bearer for the 2016 General Elections on Saturday, January 30, 2016.

Whiles wishing CPP well, Dr. Nduom cautioned the party to elect a candidate who would be more of a unifier than someone who will further weaken the CPP.

“My hope is that they will elect somebody who will be more of a unifier, who would want to bring people more together, and not someone who by his or her election as a flag-bearer will cause the party to splinter some more,” he intimated.

Though Dr. Nduom is not a member of the CPP, he said he did not want to see the party become weaker than it is now, because according to him, that would not bode well for its electoral fortunes.

Four members of the party are aspiring to become CPP’s presidential candidatefor theNovember 7 presidential polls.

Former General Secretary, Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, former Chairperson, Samia Yaba Nkrumah, twice defeated flag-bearer aspirant, Mr. Bright Akwetey, and a business executive, Joseph Agyapong, will know their fate at the end of voting tomorrow at the Accra International Trade Fair Centre, where over two thousand six hundred (2,600) party delegates are expected to elect a candidate.

CPP has been dogged by internal squabbles which problem came to a head in 2012 when a splinter group emerged to form the Progressive People’s Party.

Incidentally the 2008 CPP presidential candidate, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, became the candidate for PPP during the last presidential polls in 2012.

Early this month, the 2012 presidential candidate of CPP, Dr. Foster Abu Sakara, announced his resignation from the CPP and disclosed that he would be contesting the 2016 elections as an independent candidate.

Dr. Nduom told a news conference in Accra that he wished the CPP would learn lesson from the problems that confronted it after the 2007 delegates’ congress in Kumasi –arguably the best internal presidential contest in CPP which contest saw Dr. Nduom emerge victorious over the likes of Professor Agyemang Badu Akosah, Dr. Kwaku Osarfo, Bright Akwetey, Dr. Fredrick William Akuffo and Mr. George Opesika  Aggudey.

According to Dr. Nduom, the party had prepared well for the 2008 elections but the party’s chances of winning the 2008 elections ended immediately after the Kumasi congress, because some of the candidates who lost in the primaries refused to agree to back the winner.

He said the CPP at this point in time needs stability in order to build on its strength.

This, he indicated, was the reason why all the contestants in tomorrow’s election need to back whoever emerges winner.

Commenting about unity talks between the CPP and the People’s National Convention (PNC), Dr. Nduom pointed out that he was not happy with the posture some members of the parties have adopted.

He stated time and again that he was opened to some form of cooperation among political parties to prosecute a common agenda of bringing about change in government.

Even before official talks begin CPP’s General Secretary, Nii Armah Akomfrah, had said they would only merge with PNC if the latter agrees to dissolve.

“I thought that they were serious only to hear that somebody says dissolve your party and come and join us,” Dr. Nduom remarked and pointed out that a merger cannot take place if parties take entrenched ideological positions among other considerations.

He further pointed out that for a merger or unity to be successful people must be willing to compromise.

Dr. Nduom said he was hopeful of a possible merger upon hearing the words of Professor Delle and Mr. Mornah who sounded more willing to see the two parties work together

“It’s time for consolidation not time for pulling things apart,” he said.