Akufo-Addo projecting ancestors over Kwame Nkrumah – CPP

The Convention Peoples Party has slammed a decision by government to mark every August 4th on the nation’s calendar as “Founders Day,” contrary to September 21, a date set aside by the previous NDC regime to not only mark the birthday of Kwame Nkrumah but also celebrate him as the actual founder of modern Ghana.

The country is divided on a bitter ideological battle with elements of the Danquah/Busia/Dombo tradition asking for the inclusion of activists especially from the United Gold Coast Convention, UGCC, who, according to them, started the actual work before Dr. Nkrumah was invited and later left the group to form CPP which eventually won independence in 1957.

Late President John Mills’s administration gave official seal to September 21 as “Founder’s Day” which was vehemently protested by the then opposition NPP.

President Nana Akufo-Addo in his main address said it was about time the country started a dialogue on the matter to arriving at a solution.

“It is important for us to have a conversation on how we name things that are of national importance to us.”

He said such matters do not inure to the benefit of the country especially when it has been reduced to political football.

But CPP Director of Communication Kadril Abdul Rauf has accused the president of trying to engineer a move that honours his ancestors, saying it has not come to them as a surprise.

“To the President Nana Akufo Addo this is not about the history of Ghana, it about his ancestry.”

Mr. Rauf said the argument put forward by the government is lame and does not make any sense to them.