The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has urged Ghanaians not to allow their sovereign will to self-determination be taken away from them. It said never again must Ghanaians fall for the bait of some adventurism as a consolation to their defeat at elections.

“After all, time has proven that no matter how long it takes, we can recover and also win elections. Ghana must learn to say never again to the endorsement of foul tactics that may benefit us today. For, tomorrow, we may suffer from the very seeds of foul tactics we sowed” it said in a statement to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the overthrow of Ghana’s First President on February 24, 1966.

Lessons learnt Political hooliganism

The statement, signed by the leader and National Chairman of the party, Prof. Edmund Delle, said many lessons were there to be learnt from the dark experience of February 24, 1966.

The statement said today, the country was worried about the threat posed by indiscipline and political hooliganism explained away with the euphemistic tag of vigilantism.

It said the basic assumption for the emergence of vigilantism, properly organised, was the failure or breakdown of the state security architecture.

“That calls for an interrogation of our security system and those who have been responsible for its creation”, it said.

The statement said Ghanaians could not ever underestimate the impact of the first dastardly act of a coup d’état on the country.

It said the coup d’état was followed by other acts of treachery and disloyalty, while deaths, loss of property, change and manipulation of direction had all been recorded.

“Seeds of mistrust, needless/baseless suspicion and bitterness in the competitive political sphere have dominated our discourse emanating from that dark day”, it said.

Draw back

The statement said the overthrow of Dr Nkrumah marked the first setback to the path of self-determination and reliance, social justice and the dream of spearheading a continental government.

It said the forces of darkness and calumny with their collaborators internally and externally struck at a time we least expected.

“They overthrew the first Constitution of the Republic, closed Parliament, replaced the constitutionally elected Executive with a police/military junta and usurped the sovereign will of the people to choose how to be governed”, its said.

Rise together

The statement urged Ghanaians to rise together to build the country for the good of all.

It again asked the government to stop paying lip service to the One district One factory policy, which it said was borrowed from the industrialisation efforts of Dr Nkrumah.

“We can start by resuscitating at least 16 of the many state built industries under a One Region One Factory realism”, it said.

Source: Graphic Online