Speaker Displaying Anti-Nkrumaism Agenda With Republic Day Issues

Member of Parliament for Mion, Mohammed Abdul-Aziz says the Speaker of Parliament is willfully displaying his dislike for Nkrumah with his call for a change in the date currently observed as Ghana’s Republic Day.

This is in response to an article from the Speaker arguing that the date should be moved from July 1 to January 7.

Related: Prof. Mike Oquaye writes: What is Republic Day in Ghana?

Professor Mike Ocquaye stated in his article that, all the other republics: 1960, 1966, 1969 and 1979 were marred by military interventions and therefore leaving January 7, 1993, as the only surviving republic with a distinct constitution from all the others.

In his view, therefore, July 1 as Ghana’s Republic is moot and should be moved to January 7 which began 25 years ago with Jerry John Rawlings as its first President.

Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Ocquaye
But speaking on Joy News TV’s AM Show Wednesday, Mr. Abdul-Aziz said the astute historian and lawyer is just flagging his dislike for the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah.

“Very akin to the Speaker of Parliament,…his anti-Nkrumaism is very clear and at the least opportunity he will want to espouse those traits in him," Mr. Abdul-Aziz said.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP also recounted the Speaker’s advocacy for Founders Day to be moved from September 21, which is Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday to August 4, which was the day the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) [first political party] was formed.

Responding to concerns raised by the Speaker on Republic Day, Mr. Abdul Aziz said, “we [Ghana] do not celebrate the 4th Republican constitution on July 1 but what we celebrate is the status of Ghana as a sovereign state when we achieved full independence on July 1, 1960.

“All attempts to obliterate the achievements of Nkrumah will not succeed and at all times we will look at him in the face and say as a country we won’t accept this,” he added.

Kwame Nkrumah
The two major political parties -National Democratic Congress and New Patriotic Party- have been at loggerheads pertaining to some historical dates and which of them to recognize in the country’s history.

The minority was quick to cry foul in 2017 when the Speaker delivered an address proposing the change of Founders Day to include all the people who founded the country.

Related: 4th August better Founders Day than Nkrumah's birthday- Prof. Ocquaye

The minority NDC believes no matter the number of people who played a role, Nkrumah ultimately founded Ghana.