The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has renewed its call on the government to return properties it says were confiscated following the 1966 overthrow of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

The party says the properties were acquired through the contributions and sacrifices of its members and forebears but have never been returned to the CPP.

The appeal was made during the 117th birthday celebration of Dr Nkrumah at the party’s headquarters.

The CPP’s Vice Chairperson in charge of Finance, Joyce Larbi, directed the appeal to President John Dramani Mahama, urging him to fulfil an earlier commitment to look into the matter.

She said the CPP, which once had properties across the country, is now operating from rented premises on Mango Street because of the continued loss of its properties.

“We are not asking for royalties or state funding. We are asking for the return of properties that we believe rightfully belong to the CPP so that we can rebuild the party and continue contributing to the development of Ghana,” she said.

Mrs Larbi said the party was seeking “justice and restitution, not favour” from the government.

She argued that the CPP’s circumstances should not be compared with those of political parties formed under the Fourth Republic because the CPP predates the 1992 Constitution and played a central role in Ghana’s independence struggle.

According to her, the properties were confiscated following a military overthrow and under a military decree, making the CPP’s demand, in its view, a matter of historical restitution rather than ordinary political party financing.

Long-running property dispute

The CPP has pursued the return of its confiscated assets for several years.

In 2015, the party sued the government at the Human Rights Division of the High Court seeking the return of properties it said were seized after the 1966 overthrow. The case included claims involving Republic House and the Nkrumah Flats at Lartebiokorshie.

The party’s legal action was subsequently dismissed in 2019 on issues including its legal capacity to pursue the claims and limitation.

The demand has nevertheless remained a recurring issue for the party. In February 2026, as Ghana marked 60 years since the 1966 coup, the CPP again called for the return of its confiscated assets, including former party offices and frozen party accounts.

President Mahama had also previously indicated, during his first administration, that steps were being taken to consider the CPP’s petition for the return of its assets. At the time, he described the issue as one of the “outstanding ghosts of 1966” that needed to be addressed.

Mrs Larbi is now asking the President to revisit the matter and facilitate the return of the properties to enable the party to rebuild.

She said the CPP remains hopeful that the government will act on its earlier commitment and address what the party considers a longstanding historical grievance.