Perspectives on the Antecedents of the New Patriotic Party, (NPP); Why the Current Mess Should not Surprise Anybody

“Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right… and a desire to know.” – John Adams, 1765

Introduction

The current NPP is not a direct progeny of the Northern People's Party as has been canvassed lately by some supposed Dombo elements to hoodwink some unsuspecting "Northerners" in particular and Ghanaians in general with same hackneyed Danquah-Busia and lately, Dombo narrative.

The Northern People's Party was formed out of the CPP in 1954. It is trite knowledge that some elements of the Northern People's Party transitioned to merge with the National Liberation Movement which was founded by Baffour Akoto and led by JB Danquah to form the United Party (U.P) in 1957. History has established that the current NPP is the transmogrification of the United Party (U. P) through the United National Convention (UNC) and the Popular Front Party to the All People's Party in 1981. It is worthy to note that the United National Convention (UNC) and the Popular Front Party (PFP) were the break-ups of the United Party (U.P) before the 1979. One can easily depict the attitude of the leadership of United Party (UP).

It is therefore incumbent on Ghanaians to take serious interest in studying over and over, the emergence of this New Patriotic party. How they came, their vision and what they do currently. According to His Excellency the late president Rawlings, the NPP is the same party. They only keep changing their names and they are proud of what they do. Ghanaians need to be constantly reminded how the NPP emerged, their character traits and how to reward them when it comes to leading this country. I will journey you through some little-known historical records which under-pin the NPP as a party.

Reference is made to the DARK DAYS IN GHANA by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and also the AUTOBIOGRAPHY of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. I was propelled to peruse these documents to properly appreciate the posturing of the Nana Addo - led government in the midst of the economic turbulence Ghana finds herself.

Background

Literature postulates that better appreciation of events, groups, individuals among others can best be done when one carefully studies their backgrounds. The background of every group gives an adequate and precise posturing of their character and vision.

The general elections that was organised in 1954 was seriously contested by the Convention People's Party. The incident leading to this general election was the determination by Dr Nkrumah to gain internal self-government to increase the membership of the Legislative Assembly and to change its composition to satisfy the Coussey Constitutional reform demand. The country was then divided into one hundred and four constituencies with the Convention People's Party contesting every one of these seats.

Dr Kwame Nkrumah toured the whole country to campaign. He got to realize a mishap within his party-some of his members put themselves up to contest the official party candidates. He lost no time in sacking them. Dr Kwame Nkrumah said, “…I had previously warned candidates that they should not put themselves up to oppose the official party candidates, as had happened in some previous by-elections. …I discovered that eighty-one party members had put themselves up to stand against official candidates. I called these people 'rebels'. Firm action had to be taken. …I expelled each of the eighty-one 'rebels' from the Party. …By the time I arrived back in Accra, I learnt that a new party had been formed in the Northern Territories called the Northern People's Party. I at once dashed to the North, but this time it was too late to do very much. Candidates had been found to oppose each of the twenty-one constituencies in the North.”

What is more intriguing in this piece are the incidence preceding the formation of the C.P.P and the Northern People’s Party in 1954. Before the C.P.P and its credentials, there was a five-member group of blood relatives who came together and formed a movement called United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) on 29th December, 1947. It was quite clear that leadership of this party was deficient in organization skills because of their credibility deficit emanating from their hidden agenda. Ako Adjei explained in a letter to Nkrumah, “the U.G.C.C. was being faced with the problem of how to reconcile the leadership of the intelligentsia with the broad masses of the people”. In one of their meetings, Ako Adjei suggested they invited Dr Kwame Nkrumah to take up the party’s secretary. He assured them how re-invigorating and lively the party would be with Dr Nkrumah as the Secretary. Ako Adjei who was a friend to Dr Nkrumah in United States and England. They met there when they went to pursue further studies. He knew how brilliant and organizational oriented Dr Nkrumah was. They wrote to Dr Kwame Nkrumah inviting him to come and take up the position of secretaryship in the UGCC. “…because the U.G.C.C. at the beginning lacked the support of the masses and of some of the chiefs, it is not difficult to see why it failed to make much impression. It was in an effort to make it appear a popular movement that I was invited to become its general secretary”.

Deceits

The currency of deception that characterizes the Nana Addo-led government is not a new thing. It has its relics in their families. Dr J B Danquah, Ofori Atta, Edward Akuffo Addo, etc deceptionally promised to pay Dr Kwame Nkrumah a hundred pounds a month and give him a car if he accepted to be the secretary of the UGCC.

“He added that the Executive Committee had offered to pay me one hundred pounds a month and to provide me with a car”. This was captured in the letter inviting Dr Nkrumah to accept the secretary position in the UGCC.

When Nkrumah arrived in Gold Coast and they had their first meeting, it was deeply clear that those promises were rhetorics just to get Nkrumah to do their bidding for them. During the meeting Dr Nkrumah noted, “the hundred pounds a month and the car had obviously, I realized, been used only as a bait for I soon discovered that the Convention (which itself lacked any kind of programme or mass organization) had no funds at all and had not even attempted to open a banking account. As the payment of a hundred pounds was quite out of the question, they compromised by offering me twenty-five a month instead. I realised that even this sum was going to be difficult for them to find and I proposed that I would work for nothing so long as they would take care of my board and lodging expenses”.

Greed/Selfishness

What is worth-noting in this article is that, Ghanaians need to be re-awakened and very careful with this group of people calling themselves New Patriotic Party. They are a group of blood-related persons who decided to come together, camouflage few people and use them to achieve their family hidden personal and parochial agenda. Memory down the lane, shows that Nana Addo’s father, Edward Akuffo Addo and his relatives, Dr J B Danquah, Akoto Osei among others spearheaded the UGCC movement just to amass wealth for themselves. This is manifestly clear when Dr Nkrumah sought the emblem for UGCC after Dr J B Danquah and the rest rejected the Eagle as suggested by Nkrumah.

Dr Nkrumah stated,

“…We decided without much difficulty that the party colours should be red, white and gold; I then suggested that the emblem might be a soaring eagle representing the emergent Ghana. As this was not acceptable to Danquah and his two relatives, William Ofori Atta and Akufo Addo, I asked them to suggest an alternative. At the following meeting Danquah produced his design for an emblem for the new state of Ghana. 1 was completely taken aback when I saw it, for he had depicted, an animal with two heads and one, stomach which, according to the African, symbolizes selfishness, lack of interest in others and, in short, was hardly in keeping with what 1 imagined the UG.C.C. had been formed for”.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Ghanaians must take interest in the last but one paragraph when we have the opportunity to elect leaders for our motherland, Ghana. The selfish vision of the founders of the UGCC-a blood-related family is being achieved by their children- Nana Akuffo Addo, Ken Offori Atta, Afriyie Akoto, Garbby Ochere Darko and many of their relatives in this Akyim-government to the detriment of the suffering Ghanaians.

I shall be back with the part II of the historical antecedent of the New Patriotic Party. It shall be centered on the hatred of Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s legacies by this government.

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