CPP accuses NPP of re-writing history
Leaders of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) have accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of trying to re-write Ghana’s history by cancelling the celebration of September 21 as Founder’s Day in honour of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and rather proposing August 4 as Founders Day.
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At a press conference in Accra yesterday to commemorate the 108th birthday of Dr Nkrumah, the CPP leaders said Dr Nkrumah was the founder of modern Ghana and that any attempt to change that historical fact would not be accepted.
They said the CPP would rise up again and Dr Nkrumah’s agenda of economic emancipation for Ghana and Africa pursued to its logical conclusion.
The speakers included the Chairman of the CPP, Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle; the 2016 flag bearer of the party, Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, and a leading member of the party, Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr.
Barely a week ago, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo proposed the designation of August 4 as Founders Day and September 21 as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day but not Founder’s Day.
In line with that, he said he would push for legislation of the two dates as public holidays.
Historical facts
Prof. Delle, who read the press statement, said the CPP “considers as unfortunate recent attempts by reactionary forces to once again attempt to re-write the history of Ghana and water down the contribution of Dr Nkrumah to the emancipation of the Black man, as well as Ghana’s independence.”
“Osagyefo is the foundational stone of Ghana and pacesetter for the emancipation of Africa,” he said.
Tracing Dr Nkrumah’s contribution to the independence struggle, Prof. Delle said the independence struggle was without form and direction until the appointment of Dr Nkrumah as the General Secretary of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) on January 20, 1948, after the formation of the UGCC on August 4, 1947.
He said the appointment of Dr Nkrumah changed the course of the struggle for independence, saying the “self-government now” slogan pushed by Dr Nkrumah echoed throughout the country until it became the heartbeat of the country.
Organisational ability
The CPP Chairman said Dr Nkrumah formed the Committee on Youth Organisation (CYO) designed to bring young people actively into the political fray.
Consequently, he said, Dr Nkrumah tendered his resignation as the General Secretary of the UGCC and announced the formation of the CPP, calling for political unity and a nationwide unified demand for self-rule.
He said Dr Nkrumah continued the struggle with strikes and calls for ‘independence now’ until Ghana attained independence on March 6, 1957.
Therefore, he said, “Osagyefo is the main architect of Ghana’s independence and the foundational stone of modern Ghana, Africa and the emancipation of the Black race”.
“Nkrumah dismantled colonial rule in Africa, advocated Pan-Africanism to fight neo-colonialism, was a pillar and the architect of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU),” he said.
Mr Pratt Jnr. said as far as CPP members were concerned, they would continue to celebrate September 21 as Founder’s Day.
“Whether they like it or not, Nkrumah is the founder of modern Ghana, and whether they like it or not, the CPP will rise up again and the Nkrumah agenda will be pursued to its logical conclusion,” he said.
