Today in History: Kwame Nkrumah’s overthrow

Today marks exactly 53 years when the former president of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was unconstitutionally ousted from office through a military and police coup de’tat on February 24th, 1966.

Undoubtedly the most important indication of Nkrumah's lasting impact is how much better he has done in retrospect than those who overthrew and succeeded him.

He left a stamp on Ghanaian history that continues, long after his death, to fascinate and inspire many people all over the world, especially of African descent.

Till this day, Ghanaians continue to "render homage" to his "immortal memory," even to the point that his weakness and failures have been largely forgotten.

The Coup and its aftermath

Col. E.K. Kotoka, Major A.A. Afrifa and the then Inspector-General of Police, Mr J.W.K. Harley staged the revolution at the dawn of February 24, 1966, while Nkrumah was still on a peace mission in Asia.

They had announced on the state radio that “Kwame Nkrumah is overthrown, and the myth surrounding him is broken.”

Apparently, Dr Nkrumah was seen as an ally of the then Soviet Union and Eastern Europe during the ‘Cold War’. But the pan-Africanist leader denied any of such accusations.

Several other charges levelled were on the grounds of introducing the Preventive Detection Act, corruption, dictatorial practices, oppression and lastly forcing into retirement the army’s most senior officers which according to the sources was the principal reason for the uprising

It was this action more than any other, according to then Major A. A. Afrifa, that led to the military-police coup which overthrew Nkrumah on February 24, 1966.

Nkrumah had welcomed the military coup that took place in Nigeria a few weeks before and had tried to strengthen the position of the more radical members of the military government that took power. Little did he realize how soon his own demise was to come at the hands of his own military?

GhanaWeb