Former Minister for Trade and Industry, Kobina Tahiru Hammond, has launched a sharp attack on the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), arguing that the party should dissolve itself if it genuinely opposes coup d’états.

His comments come amid growing public debate over the government’s proposal to rename the Kotoka International Airport as the Accra International Airport.

Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem morning show, Mr Hammond said the proposed renaming is misplaced at a time when Ghanaians are grappling with economic hardship, unemployment and infrastructure deficits. He argued that government attention should be focused on easing the burden on citizens rather than pursuing what he described as symbolic actions.

Turning his criticism directly on the NDC, Mr Hammond stressed that the party’s roots lie in the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), which emerged after the December 1981 coup led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings.

“The founder of the PNDC, now NDC, came to power through a coup. So if the party is against coup makers like Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, then they should collapse the NDC and form a new one,” he said, adding that the party’s history is inseparable from Ghana’s period of military rule.

He noted that while supporters of the proposal, including those in government, argue that renaming the airport would better reflect Ghana’s national identity, critics see it as an unnecessary distraction from more urgent national challenges.

Mr Hammond’s intervention highlights the political tensions surrounding the debate, particularly the unresolved questions about the legacy of coups and their place in Ghana’s democratic history.

The proposal has triggered widespread controversy, with critics urging the government to prioritise pressing economic and social issues rather than reopening historical debates.