Founder’s Day Debate: You can’t rewrite our history – Mahama chides Akufo-Addo

The Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has reacted to the assertion that Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, cannot be said to be the founder of the country.

Speaking at a political campaign event in the northern part of Ghana, Mahama, a former president himself, said that after plunging the country into an economic mess, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) also wants to change the history.

“Apart from destroying our economy, apart from plunging Ghana into crisis, one of the things this government wants to do is to rewrite our history. And we shall not allow them to rewrite our history, because the president said he does not accept that one person can be the founder of a nation.

“Yes, founding a nation takes many people, but there's always that critical one person whose sacrifice and efforts are what finally lead to the attainment of the objective that everybody is working for. And so, if you ask South Africans who is the founder of modern-day South Africa, they'll tell you, Mandela. But it was not Mandela alone, there was Oliver Tambo, there was Govan Mbeki and so many of them who fought the armed struggle to achieve independence for South Africa from apartheid. But it was Mandela's sacrifice, being in prison for over 20 years and being the symbol of the struggle that makes them say, Mandela is the founder of modern-day South Africa."

He added, “It is the same thing with Ghana. If you ask Ghanaians who is the founder of Ghana, who gained independence for Ghana, the majority of Ghanaians will tell you Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Because it was he who gave that critical spark to the independence struggle. That event eventually got us independence.”

The former president also said the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), founded by the late Dr. J.B. Danquah, which the proponents of the NPP are trying to credit for Ghana’s independence, did their part but Nkrumah’s contribution was above all else.

He added that the UGCC, even at a point, tried to sabotage Nkrumah’s independence struggle by petitioning the then-British monarch, the late Queen Elizabeth, not to grant Ghana independence.

“The UGCC at the time said independence gradually, in the shortest possible time. Nkrumah said independence now, and he fought for it. And that is why Ghanaians recognize him as the founder. Nobody can come and rewrite our history. Indeed, for those of you who don't know it, when the queen finally agreed to give Ghana independence, the UGCC that Nana Akufo-Addo is fighting to be recognized as founders of Ghana, wrote a petition.

“They sent people to England to tell the queen, don't grant independence, we are not ready yet. Even if we are saying many people fought for independence, you cannot say UGCC was part of it because they were an obstacle to independence,” he added.

What Akufo-Addo said:

In his speech ahead of the commemoration of Founders’ Day on August 4, 2024, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said that while Kwame Nkrumah played an integral role in the country’s drive towards independence, it is erroneous and untenable to accord him the privilege of being the only founder of Ghana.

“I speak to you this evening, rejecting completely the notion that Ghana was founded by one man. While Kwame Nkrumah’s contributions to our independence are undeniable, it is important to acknowledge that the struggle for our nation’s freedom was a collective effort spanning several generations,” the president said in his broadcast.

President Akufo-Addo also listed some people whom he believes were integral in the fight towards independence and who deserve to be celebrated alongside Kwame Nkrumah.

“The formation of the Aborigines Rights Protection Society, the British West African National Congress, the United Gold Coast Convention, the work of countless unsung heroes, and the tenacious spirit of our people all played vital parts in bringing us to freedom and independence.

“Kwame Nkrumah, with his charismatic and visionary leadership, was undoubtedly a major actor in the final lap of our journey to independence. That is why, despite the several unfortunate things that happened after independence under his watch, Parliament in 2019 decided to memorialise his date of birth as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day, the only Ghanaian so far to be so honoured in our history,” he added.

Watch John Dramani Mahama’s remarks in the video below:

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