Former flagbearer aspirant of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa has lashed out at the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for saying that his party had forgiven the family of Nkrumah for the death of JB Danquah.

He said to get closure on what really happened between JB Danquah and Nkrumah the facts must be established and nothing will be achieved by making one sided arguments.

Speaking on Adom FMs’ morning show ‘Dwaso Nsem’, Prof Akosa said the New Patriotic Party can only say they have forgiven the family or followers of Nkrumah if he had indeed wronged the late statesman.

However in view of what necessitated his arrest, Nkrumah did no wrong and so saying that they have forgiven the family of Nkrumah is “is premature and misplaced”, he said.

The 2016 flagbearer of the NPP yesterday at a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the passing of Dr JB Danquah, called for a reconciliation between the country's two famous political traditions- the CPP and the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC).

Nana Akufo-Addo said the two traditions must unite to face the teething developmental challenges crippling the country.

JB Danquah, a founding member of the UGCC died under strange circumstances while in detention at the Nsawam prisons on February 4, 1965.

He was arrested and imprisoned on suspicion that he was plotting to overthrow the then Nkrumah-led government.

After several appeals to President Nkrumah for his release – which fell on deaf ears, JB Danquah died a painful death in prison.

Following his death, apostles of the principles of Danquah accuse Dr Kwame Nkrumah of betraying the cause of the UGCC when he broke away to form the CPP in 1949.

They say the purpose of the invitation was for Dr Nkrumah to assist in achieving the ideologies of the UGCC and not for him to break away and form his own party. This has been the bane of their differences.

Prof. Akosa on the other hand said even though Dr Nkrumah was indeed brought into the country by the late JB Danquah, it did not mean that he would become a “slave” for him.

He said JB Danquah was angered over the successes Nkrumah chalked when he formed his own party - which eventually led to him becoming the first president of the country.

In his anger, he decided that he [JB Danquah] would do everything possible to overthrow Nkrumah and become president, and that plot caused his arrest, he said.

According to him, there was reasonable prove that JB Danquah was plotting to overthrow the government and with that Dr Nkrumah did nothing wrong in arresting him.

Prof. Akosa called on political historians to come out with the truth on what really happened between Ghana’s most revered political leaders that ever lived.

He said the NPP should rather find out what really led to the arrest of JB Danquah rather than making inconclusive assumptions.

JB Danquah’s refusal to apologise while he was alive and his party’s refusal to do same even after his death improper and that NPP should rather show remorse before their apology will be accepted, he added.

 

Listen to the full interview.