'Akufo-Addo distorted history to favor his father' - Yammin

Former Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports is accusing president Akufo Addo of attempting to destroy Kwame Nkrumah’s legacy while glorifying his fathers and masters.

According to Joseph Yammin, Nana Akufo Addo tried hard to revise Ghana’s history to glorify his (Akufo Addo’s) political ancestors and to portray Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as “a nobody” so far as Ghana’s history is concerned.

Joseph Yammin, also a former Deputy Ashanti Regional minister was responding to a speech delivered by president Akufo Addo during Ghana’s 60th anniversary celebration on Ultimate Breakfast Show hosted by Lantam Papanko.

Delivering his speech Monday to mark Ghana’s 60 independence anniversary from colonial rule, President Akufo-Addo revived the debate whether Ghana should have founding fathers as demanded by the NPP elements or a founding father as insisted by the CPP.

According to him, the independence struggle had been started by members of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) 10 years before it was granted.

He listed Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, William Ofori-Atta, Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, and his father Edward Akufo-Addo as the main people who had met the British to demand independence.

The President added that it was when the UGCC leaders decided they needed a full-time person to man the party’s affairs that they brought in a younger nationalist Mr. Nkrumah.

“Soon thereafter, on 28the February, 1948, the notorious and senseless killings of three ex-servicemen, Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey…which, undoubtedly, quickened the pace of the independence movement,” he said.

However Yammin has faulted the president for “deliberating distorting history to favour his father and political ancestors.”

“The President started his story with the contribution of the Gold Coast Aborigines Rights Protection Society (ARPS) of 1897, only to rope in the role played by his father and close relations such as J.B. Danquah.”

“But I am not surprised…from the one we told Ghanaians that Akufo Addo’s desire to become a president is borne out of haste to project his family and friends,” he alleged.

Joseph Yammin explains, “we were all here when his cousin, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta during budget presentation spent much time greeting his family members and other relations…tell me if this is not family and friends business.”