Mr. Idris Egala, son of the late leading member of the Nkrumaist family, Imoro Egala, on Tuesday declared his bid to contest the chairmanship of the Convention People's Party (CPP).

At a press conference in Accra, Egala declared: "There is no doubt in my mind that this is the greatest challenge in my political life".

"This is however a call I dare not fail to respond to. It is the call of the people, the masses to put the CPP in order to make it a winsome party."

"I am further challenged to do honour to the memory of my late father to wear the armour of battle and onto victory in the 2008 elections as he did in 1979", he told a tightly-packed room of journalists.

A chartered accountant by profession, Mr. Egala said even though the party was now facing some difficulties, it was however the political entity that truly represented the unity of the nation.

"The fact that the CPP is alive today is enough for all to testify the strength and deeply seated roots of the party. The CPP is the only party that promises to make this country a better place for all", he said.

"And my candidature is the new dawn in the reorganization of the party and the building of a strong and self-sustaining party with organizational structure. This in my opinion is a pre-requisite for winning power in any election".

"I am offering myself to serve and signal the new dawn of a moderating factor that reconciles and unites the various tendencies within the party. Tendencies which some of you have harped on to describe as factions and have gone on to portray the party as a disunited party".

Mr Egala, who contested that position in 2003 and lost to Dr. Edmond Delle said the party under his leadership, with the support of the entire membership, would revolve on policy issues oblivious of tribe, gender and religion.

"My chairmanship will see a newly invigorated, dynamic, and focused party committed to

Mr. Egala said that under his leadership, the party would be opened to merger talks, but that such talks would not be allowed to divert and deflect the party from its aim to build strong institutional structures and the development of programmes that would provide Ghanaians with choice of an alternate "competent and disciplined" government.

He said electoral alliances would not feature in the scheme of things, saying, "We will not put the cart before the horse. Our preoccupation is to build a strong, credible and independent party and a distinct philosophy for electoral determination by the good people of Ghana".

He commended members who had remained within and committed to the party through what he described as "these hard years, and reminded them that "this is the time to pursue a singular agenda for electoral victory".

"Anything other than the building of a formidable Convention Peoples Party worsens the already deplorable state of the suffering masses of Ghana".

Mr Egala called on all "true Nkrumaists" who had "strayed" to other political parties to find their way back to the (CPP) because "The train of the CPP is at full throttle and its is time for our brothers and sisters to board on to our ordained victory. A victory we implore all to share in".

Source: GNA