Sir Sam Jonah, Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, has described former Head of State General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong as an "orphan of Ghana's politics," arguing that the country's two major political traditions have deliberately abandoned his legacy.
Delivering the second edition of a lecture in honour of the former military leader on Friday, November 13, 2026, under the theme "Breaking the Silence: The Human and Political Complexities Behind the Leadership of General Kutu Acheampong," Sir Sam Jonah said the former leader's overthrow of the Progress Party government and his subsequent execution by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) had left him politically isolated.
"Gen. Acheampong overthrew the Progress Party, the ancestor of one of our parties, the NPP. He was executed by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, the ancestor of the NDC. He is therefore, by every definition, an orphan of Ghana's politics," he said.
"Neither family that has governed Ghana since 1993 has had any reason to claim him. And indeed, both have had every reason to have him buried and left buried in his village."
Sir Sam Jonah argued that public discourse on the Acheampong era had been reduced to lazy slogans rather than serious historical examination. "For most of my adult life, the name Kutu Acheampong has drawn a reflex rather than a reflection. Mention it, and you hear of Kalabule, Unigov and jokes about Volkswagen Golf," he said. "Sadly, ladies and gentlemen, that has likely been the sum of our national conversation about a man who shaped this country for six and a half years."
He challenged the definitive judgment of historian Professor Adu Boahen, who in his 1988 J.B. Danquah Memorial Lectures described the Acheampong years as the worst Ghana had experienced.
While acknowledging Professor Boahen's courage, Sir Sam Jonah questioned whether that verdict should remain final. "He is no longer here to defend or revise his opinion or judgment. So permit me to ask the question: Would you say the same today?" he asked.
The Chancellor also called for the restoration of General Acheampong's rank, which was stripped by decree following his overthrow.
"In a nation of laws, a soldier's rank, earned over a lifetime of service, is not removed by decree and settled by a firing squad," he said, adding that the 2019 acknowledgement by the Ghana Armed Forces under the words "Never Again" must be completed by restoring his name to the rolls of the Ghana Military Academy.
