"Afro Gbede" Bids For Power | Komla Gbedemah On The Campaign Trail | Ghana | August 1969

Thursday, August 28th 1969.
Footage of Komla Gbedemah (1913-1988), a former Minister of Finance of Ghana campaigning in the run up to the elections arranged by the country's ruling junta, the National Liberation Council (NLC), which overthrew the government of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1966.
Gbedemah, who was born in Warri, Nigeria, to Ewe parents broke with Nkrumah over what he claimed was Nkrumuh's lack of financial prudence.
He was disqualified from holding a Parliamentary seat under circumstances which his supporters felt were trumped up because he was seen as a formidable person who could provide a genuine opposition to his rival Dr. Kofi Busia. The Ghana Supreme Court ruled in favour of the decision to disqualify him.
Source of footage: Reuters News Archives.
Note:
In 1957, Gbedemah briefly made front page news in the United States when he was refused service at a restaurant in Delaware. An indignant Gbedemah told them: "The people here are of a lower social status than I am, but they can drink here and we can't. You can keep the orange juice and the change, but this is not the last you have heard of this." He was subsequently invited to the White House to have breakfast with President Dwight Eisenhower.

[@SamuelOsei-Somuah]

Afro Gbede Say it loud I’m NAL and Proud 1969

[@samuelosei-somuah3072]

As he rode in his White Mercedes Benz Open Top from the Jacksons Park through the market gate, central Police Station to Prince Boateng House after the rally in Koforidua up to the '69 elections Ghana

[@samuelosei-somuah3072]

Say it Loud I'm NAL and proud This was the inscription at the back of those Yellow T Shirts of NAL Imported from the USA

[@SamuelOsei-Somuah]

Afro Gbede Say it Loud I’m NAL and Proud 1979

[@SamuelOsei-Somuah]

Say it Loud I’m NAL and Proud 1969

[@samuelosei-somuah3072]

Always he was in this all white outfit a white open top Mercedes Benz in all his campaigns of NAL in 1969 'Say it loud I'm NAL and proud'

[@tommymensah542]

Happy new year Adenyinka. Where do you get all these old stuff from?
Gbedema was one of the corrupt ministers of Nkrumah

[@JJ_Goldman]

The disqualification of Agbeli Kodzo Gbedemah coupled with the killing of Gen Kotoka et al, caused Africa in 1979.
Never again. We must learn from the past.

[@villageradio3907]

Kotoka died in 1967 by the Operation Guitar boy coupists. You might mean Afrifra, who was executed in 1979 after June 4th

[@samuelosei-somuah3072]

Afro Gbede!

[@babaibrahim9809]

K.A Gbedemah