Renowned journalist Paul Adom Otchere has accused the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) of being driven by historical retribution rather than national interest in its proposal to rename Kotoka International Airport.
In an interview, Mr. Otchere suggested that the plan to rename the facility “Accra International Airport” is a post-election move rooted in political score-settling, arguing that it is intended to elevate and preserve the legacy of Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
“What all this is about is settling political scores, it has nothing to do with renaming an airport, it has everything to do with settling a major political part of our history,” Otchere stated.
Mr. Otchere’s central accusation is that the renaming, spearheaded by the NDC-led government, is a deliberate attempt to revise the historical narrative.
He noted that the policy was never part of the NDC’s campaign manifesto, suggesting it is a reactive, politically motivated decision.
“This was never mentioned in the campaign,” he told the audience.
“So this has not been a matter that they thought about during the campaign… it’s becoming very obvious that what all this is about is about settling political scores.”
Defending the legacy of Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, the coup leader in whose honor the airport was renamed in 1969, Otchere challenged the notion of purely “good” or “bad” historical figures.
He insisted that Kotoka “did good things and deserves and must not be removed,” just as Nkrumah was not all-good and had blemishes.
He described Kotoka as a rescuer of Nkrumah’s ‘despotism’.
The government, however, has framed the “Accra International Airport Bill” as a necessary correction.
Proponents, including Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, argue that naming the nation’s primary international gateway after a key figure in the 1966 coup that overthrew Nkrumah is inconsistent with Ghana’s democratic constitution.
