2 years ago
Ghana after gaining independence and becoming a democratic state suffered a number of coups as a result of bad governance and mismanagement of public funds and there were certain individuals who were at the center of these activities.
These individuals automatically became Presidents since they were leaders of their groups and they were all military men.
Here is a list of Ghanaian Presidents who gained power through coups.
1. Lieutenant General Joseph Arthur Ankrah
General Ankrah led the first coup in Ghana to overthrow Dr Kwame Nkrumah who he believed to have been mismanaging the nation's funds. He was the first commander of Ghana's Army and was President from 1966 to 1969.
General Joseph Ankrah led a successful coup on 24 February 1966 to become Ghana's second President but resigned following a bribery scandal.
2. General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong
General Acheampong was head of state of Ghana from 1972 to 1978 and was commended for his bloodless coup to overthrow Dr Kofi Busia of the Progress Party. He was court martial and executed by firing squad on 16 June 1979.
3. Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings
Flight Lieutenant Rawlings was the 1st President of the 4th Republic of Ghana who led Ghana from 1981(through a coup) to 2001.
Late President Rawlings led a coup in 1979 to overthrow General Akuffo who had been in office for just a year and handed over power peacefully to Dr Hilla LImann. He led another coup to overthrow Dr Hilla Limann on 31 December 1981 just two years after handing over power on the grounds that civilian rule is weak and the country's economy is deteriorating.
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