CPP appeals to Mahama for return of confiscated party property after overthrow of Nkrumah

The Convention People's Party (CPP) has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to facilitate the return of properties it says were confiscated by the state following the 1966 overthrow of the party's Founder and Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

The party said restoring the properties would help it rebuild its organisational structures and enhance its contribution to national development.

The acting First Vice-Chairperson of the CPP National Working Committee, Joyce Osei Owusu Larbie, appealed at a ceremony in Accra last Monday to commemorate Dr Nkrumah's 117th birthday.

Speaking under the theme, “The Vision, The Legacy, The Future”, Mrs Larbie said the party was seeking “justice and restitution; not favour”.

September 21 is observed as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day, a statutory public holiday commemorating the birthday of Ghana's first President. The anniversary ceremony also featured a cake-cutting to mark the occasion.

Mrs Larbie said the CPP, which played a central role in Ghana's independence struggle, previously owned its headquarters and offices in different parts of the country.

She said the party was now operating from rented premises at House No. 70, Mango Street, in Accra because its properties were confiscated after the 1966 coup.

She therefore urged President Mahama to honour an earlier commitment to examine the matter, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the CPP's properties differed from those of political parties formed under the Fourth Republic.

According to her, the properties were taken over following a military overthrow and under a military decree, making the issue one of historical restitution rather than conventional political-party financing.

The CPP also called for the recognition of Superintendent Salifu Dagarti, who was fatally wounded while protecting Dr Nkrumah during an assassination attempt at the Flagstaff House in January 1964.

At the event, the special guest of honour, Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, reflected on the influence Dr Nkrumah had on his own life.

He said policies introduced under Nkrumah created opportunities for him, the son of a fisherman, to receive formal education and pursue a career that might otherwise have been beyond his reach.

Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah recalled that in 1959, while still a student, he and two colleagues wrote to then Prime Minister Nkrumah to complain about poor conditions at their school.

He said their concerns received a quick response, with a headmistress arriving at the school within days to address the issues raised.

“To me, Nkrumah was a special human being. He lived in my heart,” he said.

He also recalled an occasion when he left school to see Nkrumah during one of the latter's visits, saying he climbed an almond tree by the roadside to get a better view of the former leader.

On Nkrumah's legacy, Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah said the former President's emphasis on education, long-term planning and concern for future generations continued to be relevant to Ghana.

He also called for greater fairness and concern for ordinary citizens, recalling an occasion when he declined the idea of acquiring a government vehicle after seeing a woman selling water by the roadside with a baby.

“I'm not everybody. I'm somebody. It's wrong,” he recalled saying.

Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah, who said he was on duty during the 1966 coup, further urged Ghanaians to learn from the country's history to help prevent a recurrence of political violence.

The ceremony was attended by Dr Sekou Nkrumah, one of Dr Nkrumah's children; the 2024 CPP flag bearer, Nana Akosua Frimpongmaa; Hajia Dagarti, wife of the late Salifu Dagarti; Dr Don Arthur, the Ghanaian architect known for designing the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Accra; and members of the CPP Council of Elders.