The Convention People’s Party (CPP), has marked  the 51 years of the overthrow of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah with party faithfuls condemning the 1966 coup.

The National Chairman of the Party, Professor Edmund Delle, addressing  a ceremony in Accra, described the 51 year old event as "tragic" and says Ghana has fallen behind in all aspects of development because of the lack of political will to implement the ideologies of the first President of the Republic, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

"Today marks the 51st year of the tragic event that happened at dawn on Thursday the 24th of February, 1966," he said.

"On that tragic day, many patriots were killed by Kotoka, Afrifa, Harlley and their henchmen when they stormed the Flagstaff House in the absence of Osagyefo.

With the betrayal of General Ocran, Major-General Bawa was murdered in the cold blood together with some of his guards and home employees at his residence by General Afrifa on the accounts of his daughter, Ms. Abiba Bawa."

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In February 1966, while Dr. Nkrumah was on a state visit to Vietnam and China, his government was overthrown in a military coup led by Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka and the National Liberation Council.

According to him, the 1966 overthrow of Nkrumah was needless and believes but  the country would have been better off if the Country's first President had been allowed to fulfill his dream for Africa.

He noted that today, there are foreign powers who study Nkrumahism because they understand Nkrumah’s ideology was a danger to their interests.

Find below the full address from the press conference

Today marks the 51st year of the tragic event that happened at dawn on Thursday the 24th of February, 1966.

Traitors from the Ghana Police Force, the Ghana Armed Forces together with elements of the erstwhile United Party collaborated with their foreign paymasters; the CIA, MI6 and other intelligence agencies to derail and overthrow the Ghana project and subvert the Africa revolution which as lead by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

On that tragic day, many patriots were killed by Kotoka, Afrifa, Harlley and their henchmen when they stormed the Flagstaff House in the absence of Osagyefo. With the betrayal of General Ocran, Major-General Bawa was murdered in the cold blood together with some of his guards and home employees at his residence by General Afrifa on the accounts of his daughter, Ms. Abiba Bawa.

The CIA had cut communication lines which prevented the TUC from mobilizing. The President’s own guard detachments at the Shai Hills were stopped from intervening. Despite the heroic effort of Colonel Zanlerigu and others, the progressive forces had to give up the fight, to halt further bloodshed.

The dark days into which the National Liberation Council (NLC) and their political allies from the UP ushered our beloved country still hangs our heads, even till this day.

.Real Industrialization, free quality universal education, mass infrastructure development, a progressive and dynamic planned economic development with ownership of our resources was stopped on the pretext that they were prestigious projects.

Fellow comrades, as we mark this significant day in our lives as a party and as a nation today, I wish to say a big thank you to the over 25,000 Ghanaians who voted for us in the just ended elections. You are the ones we will re-build the party with. Your true loyalty and continuous support to the CPP is well acknowledged. Very soon, we will be reaching out to you.

This would be done in the shortest possible time. To the teaming YOUTHS out there, I say ayeeeekoooo! To the strong CPP WOMEN out there, I say thank you for your continuous support. To all members and sympathizers of the CPP out there, I can only ask you never to stop believing in the CPP. The future looks great and we will get there. We will never walk alone because the spirit of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah lives in us forever.

To our council of elders who have stood by the party right down from their early days as YOUNG PIONEERS till this day, I say; May God bless you, give you long live to continually guide us to the promise land.

My administration is working hard to keep the forte going. My leadership and Central Committee members are solidly behind the party and have assured me of their continuous support the cause of Osagyefo. Nobody is above the party. Our constitution remains supreme and discipline remains the order of the day.

Let’s join hands and fight till we see the CPP in power again to relief this nation of its woes to an eternal economic freedom. I thank you all.

By: Fiifi Abdul Malik