Kweku Baako demystifies Akufo-Addo's role in 'Kume Preko' demo

On May 11, 1995, a new history was written in Ghana as hundreds of Ghanaians trooped to the streets in protest against the Military rule of former President Jerry John Rawlings.

The demonstration, which is known to be the biggest in the country, was held against the atrocious hardships imposed by the Rawlings' regime.

Twenty-five years down memory lane, the instigators of the demonstration in the persons of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, seasoned journalists Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, Kwesi Pratt, and politicians Dr. Nayarko Tamakloe, Akoto Ampaw, Victor Newman, Napoleon Abdulai, Kwaku Opoku, Dr. Charles Wreko Brobbey and Agyeri Blankson have been reminiscing about their revolution.

The leaders recently met at the residence of Mr. Agyeri Blankson to mark the 25th anniversary of the "Kumepreko" demonstration.

In recalling the formation of the nine-member leadership of the Alliance for Change (AFC) which ignited the demonstration, there has arisen an argument over the role of President Nana Akufo-Addo in the group.

Since precision is key to history and in order not to distort facts, seasoned journalist Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has sought to put to final all questions regarding the role and impact of President Akufo-Addo to the revolution of 1995.

According to Kweku Baako, he needs to rehash the position of the President to lay to rest misconceptions that he wasn't an active member of the Kumepreko protest.

In setting the record straight, Kweku Baako stated emphatically that the President played a significant role as the AFC Spokesperson.

"Have you Akufo-Addo anywhere anytime suggest that he was leader of the AFC? I haven't heard that . . . That meeting we held in the house of Agyiri Blankson, in a very interesting way, Agyiri Blankson was recollecting history of kumepreko. How it began in his house and all those, he was telling the story and how we constituted the nine-member leadership collectively".

"Then Agyiri Blankson, in the process, said 'oh and we made Nana the leader'; at the moment, I stood to correct him but the President was faster. The President said; 'Hold on! That's not correct. I was the Spokesperson, not leader'. So, where is this coming from? Everybody was present and nobody can deny this thing I'm saying," he stated.