Feature Article of Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Columnist: Sarpong, Justice
The historical facts surrounding the assasination attempt on our first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah at Kulungugu in August 1962 is still a mystery as to the principals behind that bombing. The two political parties at that time, CPP and UP continue to blame each other as to who attempted to kill Dr Nkrumah at that time. If the bomb was planted in a flower pot as it is believed to be the mode of the attempt, then the CPP accusation against the United Party(UP), the forebearers of NPP as being responsible could not pass the smell test so they usually attempt to change how the bombing was done. According to CPP, the bomb was not hidden in a flower pot but was thrown at Nkrumah as recounted here;
"Date: 2 August, 1962
An attempt on the life of President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana fails. Nkrumah escaped an assassination attempt when a hand grenade was thrown into a crowd greeting him at Kulungugu, Northern Region in Ghana. His rule in Ghana was becoming progressively oppressive. Four years previously he had passed the Preventive Detention Act, which he had used to imprison over 1000 of his political and social opponents."
The above is what the CPPians want Ghanaians to believe because they cannot answer the questions below to fit nicely into their attempt to blame the United Party(UP) as to the true mode of the bomb detonation which was that, it was planted in the bouquet of flowers given to Nkrumah as recounted below
"The assassination attempt at Kulungugu - a village in the Bawku West District of the present Upper East region - took place when Dr. Nkrumah was returning from the Upper Volta, now Burkina Faso, after peace with President Maurice Yameogo.Other historical accounts say Nkrumah had gone to the Upper Volta to negotiate the construction of the Volta Dam.
A bomb was hidden in a bouquet of flowers and given to a little school girl to present to Nkrumah on behalf of the people of Kulungugu, who had gathered and stood in the open for hours anxiously awaiting the arrival of the president.No sooner had the bouquet been handed over to the president the bomb exploded.Nkrumah escaped death by the whiskers after the detonation but suffered injuries nonetheless."
If the above is the true story, then the CPPians should explain to Ghanaians how the UP Politicians were able to do that by answering these questions;
1.The reception at Kulungugu was organized by cpp for Nkrumah on his return from Upper Volta at the time without UP being part of the planned reception so how did the opposition members in UP get near the flowers?
2. The girl who presented the flowers to Nkrumah was chosen by Cpp people and not by UP Politicians, can any CPPian tell us how UP politicians manage to get close to this girl to put the bomb in the flower pot?
3.The flowers was bought or prepared by CPPians and not UP Politicians, again it is impossible for the UP Politicians to have planted the bomb in the flowers.
4. The flower was in possession of cpp people at all times before the attempt to kill Nkrumah so there was no window of opportunity for UP Politicians to have planted the bomb in the flowers.
Since the CPPians cannot explain these away, they have attempted many times to change how the bomb exploded by insisting it was thrown at Nkrumah instead of the true story as has been established.
Kweku Baako, the son of one of Nkrumah's Ministers had attempted to blame UP Politicians for this assasination attempt without any evidence only to say that that a former Member of Parliament of Amansie East, who stood on the ticket of the UP, Robert Otchere and another member of the same party, Yaw Manu, were convicted for the Kulungugu assassination attempt.
In an era where all the Judges could have been easily influenced, Kweku Baako has to give evidence linking the two people to this bombing and not just by mere being convicted for this bombing.
What readers should know is that, Nkrumah in his wisdom figured it out that, the UP Politicians could not have planted the bomb in the bouquet of flowers which was prepared by CPPians and at no time was in possession by any opposition member so he caused the arrest of Adamafio, Ako Adjei and Kofi Crabbe,all leading members and Ministers in his government.
The question then is why should members in Nkrumah's own party trying to kill him? The fact of the matter is that there was an open fight between the ‘Old Guards’ (those Nkrumah started with) and the ‘Socialist Boys’ (the new crop of younger ideologues and new entrants who had found fresh favour with Nkrumah) Nkrumah faced trouble from within the CPP. And how could the Kulungugu of 1962 lead to the PDA of 1958? Nkrumah had his ambition to monopolise power and men like Baffuor Osei Akoto opposed him. Nkrumah had made enemies in his own Party who were baiting for his head and saw an opportunity at Kulungugu which they took and failed. Kulungugu was a CPP planned and executed attempt to eliminate the brutal Dictator Kwame Nkrumah who had turned his guns on his own Party members.
(CARDINAL of TRUTH)