Our Party Our History History in Detail History in Brief
| History in Brief |
 |
 |
 |
|
Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah broke away from the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) to form his Convention People’s Party (CPP) in 1949. Nkrumah guided by his Pan-Africanist ideology felt he could not do business with the UGCC because of their measured, gradual, and somewhat tardy, approach to self-rule.The Convention Peoples' Party (CPP) was therefore formed in 1949 during the struggle for independence and it was the first party to rule Ghana after independence. The CPP started as a vehicle of emancipation of the nation and the whole of Africa. It sees itself as a mass party that embraces farmers, fishermen, the rural folks, the rich and the poor alike. The CPP led by its illustrious leader, great Pan-Africanist and visionary Nkrumah turned to the masses that are the up and coming young men/women in the cities, but mainly marginalized by the attitude, training, and background of the UGCC leaders. These were the small shop keepers, women traders, primary school teachers, newspaper vendors, and similar categories who later became politically christened as the “Standard Seven” boys in an apparent reference to their educational background and the “Verandah Boys”, implying they lacked suitable sleeping places or accommodation. The fact that this group was already dissatisfied and disgruntled with their “Neglect” by the UGCC made them natural allies to Nkrumah and the CPP. All the conditions were then set for the creation of a nationalistic party of “young people”. The CPP was thus able to penetrate the villages and present itself as the party well equipped to restore freedom and happiness. In 1950 the CPP led by Nkrumah called for “positive action” civil obedience. Nkrumah was arrested and sentenced to 3 years in jail for leading the campaign. Nkrumah slogan was “We prefer independence with danger to servitude with tranquillity”. In 1951 the Watson Commission set up by the colonial government came up with a Legislative assembly to be contested on general elections. The CPP won the elections while Nkrumah was in prison and he also won the Ayawaso Constituency, The CPP was asked to form a government and Nkrumah became head of government business, the defacto Prime Minister. It is worth noting here that Dr J. B. Danquah, the Leader of the main opposition grouping was defeated by the CPP in his own home town of Kyebi. In 24 February 1966 the government of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, founder, leader of the independent state of Ghana, and trail-blazer of the anti-colonial movement and foremost Pan-Africanist leader of the mid-20th century and probably most popular of all times, was overthrown in a military coup orchestrated by domestic reactionary forces and their imperialist backers notably the ex-colonial masters, Britain and their American cousins through the CIA. |
