Hundreds of supporters of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) on Tuesday picketed at the defunct Information Ministry building, demanding the return of all CPP properties.
The move, according to the leadership of the party is the only way of compelling government to listen to them after all attempts at getting government’s attention proved futile.
The Information Ministry building, according to the party was built by the late Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah making it a property of the CPP.
On the occasion of the 49th anniversary of the overthrow of Dr. Nkrumah, the party says all properties must be returned to them.
Speaking to Citi News, a party member asked government to take immediate steps to return the party’s properties, saying : “What kind of democracy does not allow for one political party to have access to all its properties?What kind of democracy prevents some members of that same political party from contesting any public office? What kind of democracy makes the founder of our party, CPP, a wanted criminal. These are fundamental questions that organisations like Amnesty International, Mo Ibrahim Foundation and other civil society organisation should join in.”
Another aggrieved party member said: “49 years ago I had to sleep in a place where I wasn’t sleeping. My father was arrested for two years.He was just picked though he did nothing. Today’s democracy that you are enjoying today has been built on the shoulders of some CPP members who were picked as Parliamentarians for working for a government and were just put in prison.”
“For two years, they didn’t care where we were, there was no gratitude, nothing was paid to them and today we have what we see here,” she added.
Nkrumah’s overthrow
Kwame Nkrumah,(21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972) was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1951 to 1966.
He became the first Prime Minister of the Gold Coast in 1951, and led it to independence as Ghana in 1957, becoming the new country’s first Prime Minister.
After Ghana became a republic in 1960, Nkrumah became President.
In the early morning hours of 24 Feb., 1966, Ghana’s armed forces, with the cooperation of the National Police, took over government in a well organized coup d’etat dubbed “Operation Chop Cold”.
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/.Ghana