I want to believe that the founders of the New Patriotic Party, never thought things would turn out this way, other than that they would not have call the tradition Danquah-Busia Tradition, which opportunists later added Dombo to become Danquah-Busia-Dombo Tradition.There was a Danquah-Busia Club which became the New Patriotic Party. In May of 1992, the ban on party politics was lifted in preparation for multi-party elections under the constitution of the Fourth Republic. Kweku Attakora Mensah Gyimah, a veteran politician and member of the Progress Party, took off from where Victor Owusu’s All People’s Party got to and with like-minded persons, formed the Danquah-Busia Club to embrace all who belonged to the Progress Party.But why Danquah-Busia Tradition? What tradition did the Progress Party professed if not the UP Tradition?With this name, we were told that the non-NPP people started painting the party in ethnic colours by saying that the party was an Akan party. Suddenly well-educated and learned men and women of wisdom, in the NPP, started feeling jittery because to them the tag was derogatory. And so, they quickly added Dombo. But at the look of things, this has worsened the situation. Who is a Danquah, who is a Busia and who is a Dombo in the NPP? When asked such questions, one can safely point out that a Danquah is from Akyem in particular and Eastern Region in general; a Busia is from Ashanti, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions and a Dombo is from all the Northern regions, that is Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East and Upper West regions, which means effectively and unknowingly, royal gates have been established in the NPP, and so, if one wants to be a flag bearer or running mate, then he or she ought to hail from any of these regions. But why should it be so? And one thing, J.B. Danquah was not at the founding of the United Party. No one can discard his role in politics in Ghana, but he was not there when the United Party was formed in October 1957 and was however nominated as the party’s presidential candidate in 1960. If he must be added because of his role in the UGCC, then why are names like Paa Grant, R.S. Blay, R.A. Awoonor Williams among others who were strong members of the UGCC, excluded?The United Party was formed when six strong politicians brought their parties to the table to be united with others and to form this tradition called the UP Tradition. The parties were the National Liberation Movement (NLM), the Northern People’s Party (NPP), Togoland Congress, Anlo Youth Association (AYA), Ga Shifimokpee (Ghana Steadfast Party) and Muslim Association Party (MAP).The NLM was founded in September 1954, by Baffour Osei Akoto, who is being celebrated today, out of frustrations put across to people of the then Ashanti region by Nkrumah. The region comprised today’s Ashanti, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions. Among others, Nkrumah begun revoking some powers of the traditional leaders and denying them the traditional source of wealth.He also failed to live up to his campaign promise to cocoa farmers to increase the producer price to £5. After the elections, Nkrumah rather reduced the producer price and pegged it at £3 12s hedging it for four years.Even though the Ashanti region was the most populous, the Van Lare Commission, in reviewing the number of seats allocated to each region, increased seats in the North from nineteen to twenty-six; the Colony, from thirty-seven to forty-four; Trans-Volta from eight to thirteen and the Ashanti region, from nineteen to only twenty-one. The Ashanti region petitioned this and demanded that it should be allocated thirty seats, but this was turned down in Parliament and it angered members of the region.Most members of the CPP’s Asante Youth Association were dissatisfied in their party and government for the growing dictatorial tendencies and the centralisation of power especially with the imposition of candidates on constituencies.Baffour Osei Akoto’s party attracted many disgruntled and disappointed CPP activists like members of Asante Youth Association, one of the four pillars of the CPP and others like Victor Owusu and R.R. Amponsah.Baffour Osei Akoto handed the leadership of the NLM to Dr. K.A. Busia.The Northern People’s Party (NPP) was formed in April 1954 by S.D. Dombo, out of fear that the people of the Northern regions, especially the educated and the chiefs would be dominated by people of the South after independence.NPP’s aims were to win respect for the culture of the people of the Northern Territories, to ensure their just treatment, their protection against abuses and their political and social development.The Togoland Congress was formed in 1951 by S.G. Antor out of a number of political associations which were already in existence in the Trans Volta Togoland. These included the Togoland Union, founded in 1943, the Togoland Youth Conference and the United Nations Association of Togoland. The principal aim of the Togoland Congress was to intensify the campaign for the unification of British and French mandated territories of Togoland.The Anlo Youth Association, founded in 1952, by Modesto Apaloo, opposed the Togoland Congress objectives, and rather campaigned for all Ewes under British rule to remain and stay united within Ghana after independence.The Muslim Association Party, was founded in 1954. One of its leaders was Bankole Awoonor-Renner. Born in 1898, he converted to Islam in 1942. Initially he was a colleague of Kwame Nkrumah, whom he helped found the CPP. He later broke up with Nkrumah and along with others who were opposed to the ruling Convention People’s Party found the MAP.Ga Shifimokpee was founded in July 1957, out of growing tension between the CPP and the Ga people. This party which translates to mean Ga Standfast Association, was founded by Attor Okine and Attoh Quarshie.This is the foundation of the United Party and on the roll call, we have Busia, Dombo, Antor, Apaloo, Bankole, Attoh Quarshie and Attoh Okine, who were opposed to Nkrumah and his CPP. The UP Tradition was founded on these gentlemen. Dr. J.B. Danquah only expressed support for the NLM when it was formed and gave a number of reasons that related specifically to the grievances of the Asantes. J.B. Danquah associated with the UP and he got nominated to stand as its presidential candidate in the April 27, 1960 Elections. Unfortunately, JB Danquah secured only 10.9% of the votes against Nkrumah who won with a landslide.As at now, with the NPP claiming to belong to a Danquah Busia Dombo Tradition, is rather indicating that unless someone in the Party is a mid-Akan (Eastern, Ashanti, Bono East, Bono and Ahafo), he or she cannot be allowed to be the party’s flag bearer. Also, if one wants to be a running mate, he or she must be from the Northern regions.What happens to the Gas and the Ewes who sacrificed a lot to be in union with people of these regions? The Ewes brought along two parties to form a third of the United Party. Where are the Gas, in the UP Tradition, today? Where are the Ewes as well? Where are the Muslims, who defied Nkrumah and chose to be among those who opposed him? And most importantly, where are the Southern Akans, the Fantis and many others from the Central, Western and Western North regions, who actually started all this?So today, no Ga can aspire to lead the NPP and certainly no Ewe, and of course no Fanti, just because one has to be a full blooded Danquah or a Busia or a Dombo to be allowed to aspire for such high positions.The United Party, was a union of parties opposed to the CPP and it was a union of Akans, Northerners, Ewes, Gas, Christians and Muslims, not forgetting traditionalists. Today, after the UP Tradition survived extermination by the socialists made up of the Nkrumaist and the Rawlings Traditions, it has been unfortunately considered an outcast by the Gas, the Ewes and Muslims who it is speculated that on average only 20% vote for the NPP. If the capital of this country was still in Ogua, or Cape Coast, the NPP will not win a single seat in Greater Accra. What the NPP should start doing, is to resolve this problem by getting the Gas, Ewes and Muslims back into the tradition. The only way to begin is to called the NPP tradition, the UP Tradition and make everyone feel at home.Hon Daniel Dugan
