By Former Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) member, Ex-Sgt Daniel Akata Pore, has disclosed his participation in the June 4 uprising, influenced by former President Jerry John Rawlings.
Ex-Sgt Akata Pore revealed that he was convinced by Rawlings to provide information that contributed to the uprising.
On June 4, 1979, Flt Lt Jerry Rawlings orchestrated a change in government through the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) coup.
June 4th Revolution: JJ Rawlings fooled us into supporting uprising. – Ex-Sgt. Akata Pore pic.twitter.com/dNU5dI4zHd
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The June 4th Revolution, also referred to as the June 4th Uprising, emerged from widespread discontent with corruption, poor governance, and societal frustration.
However, during an appearance on JoyNews’ Upfront, the former soldier emphasized Rawlings’ apparent disdain for Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his reluctance to recognize Dr. Nkrumah’s achievements.
“I didn’t know that he hated Dr. Nkrumah. Rawlings fooled everybody. Look, Rawlings gave me three books on the ABC of Socialism. When he met me for the first time, he said, ‘I really respect you because you can see forward. You will have to follow Nkrumah,” he told Raymond Acquah.
Akata Pore also revealed that Rawlings manipulated certain prominent military figures to support his agenda, ultimately leading to the uprising.
“That’s why I was interested in helping him out. Assisting him in bringing about change was tricky because I was working for military intelligence as well. So, in a way, I betrayed the military, but it was for the greater good in my view, so that’s why I did so.”
He also recounted an incident where they had planned to remove a statue of Lt Gen Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, and how Rawlings vehemently opposed the idea.
“I regretted it because immediately after we took over, it became clear that Rawlings was not a fan of Nkrumah. We wanted to bring Kotoka’s statue to the airport, and Rawlings was furious because Kotoka was a dictator and how he was killed and all that,” he added.
