Akufo-Addo is intentionally being divisive, sabotaging Bawumia’s campaign — Kwesi Pratt

Veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has asserted that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is intentionally sabotaging the presidential campaign of his vice president, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, with his recent remarks on Ghana's first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

In an interview on Peace FM’s "Kokrokoo” morning show, Mr. Pratt indicated that the president's statements about Nkrumah seem deliberately divisive and detrimental to Bawumia's presidential ambitions.

"It looks like someone has intentionally decided to harm Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's campaign. The president is no mean person and he is intentionally and consciously being divisive. He is saying things that, if care is not taken, would affect his own political party," Pratt said.

Pratt further pointed out that other leading NPP members, including former Speaker of Parliament Prof. Aaron Mike Ocquaye, have also made statements that undermine Nkrumah's legacy and, by extension, Bawumia's campaign.

"And he (Akufo-Addo) is not the only person who has said these things, Prof. Mike Ocquaye is even saying worse things against Nkrumah," he stated.

These remarks are in reaction to President Akufo-Addo's statement rejecting the notion that Kwame Nkrumah is the sole founder of Ghana. Ahead of Founders' Day on August 4, 2024, the president emphasised that while Nkrumah played a significant role in Ghana's independence, the fight for freedom was a collective effort involving many individuals.

"I speak to you this evening, completely rejecting 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," President Akufo-Addo said in his address.

The president highlighted the contributions of various groups and individuals, including the Aborigines Rights Protection Society, the British West African National Congress, the United Gold Coast Convention, and numerous unsung heroes, in achieving 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."