President Akufo-Addo has extolled the virtues of Dr. Hilla Limann describing him as “decent, honest and patriotic.”
Dr. Limann who died on January 23, 1998 at age 63 became the President of Ghana in 1979 but was overthrown through a coup in 1981 by Flight-Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, leader of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), making him the only president of the Third Republic.
He subsequently founded the PNC when the country returned to constitutional democracy and contested on the ticket of the party in the 1992 Presidential elections but performed abysmally.
Speaking Tuesday January 23, 2018 at a commemoration to mark the 20th anniversary of his death Mr. Akufo-Addo said, “ill-fated as his presidency was, he died with the reputation and memory of a decent, honest and patriotic man.”
He further noted that Dr. Limann was “one of the historic figures of modern Ghana” who regardless of the circumstances of his birth “strived for excellence no matter where he found himself.”
“Such was the worth of the man, though not then a political heavy weight in the country, who was elected leader of the Peoples National Party. And on the ticket of that party ascended to the high office of the president of the Third Republic—winning 62% of the vote after a runoff against Victor Owusu, the Popular Front Party’s presidential candidate a known political heavy weight at the time,” said Mr. Akufo-Addo.
He continued: “Throughout his presidency spanning the period of some two years three months [he] had the herculean task of restoring order and stability to the nation after the turbulence and tumult of the June 4th era. His best effortseemed to mitigate what appeared to be a mission in possible.
“But, almost inevitably, the guns sounded off again on that faithful day of 31st December 1981. After the overthrow of the Third Republic in the 31st December coupe, to his credit Dr. Limann stayed in the country”
“And when the political space opened up with the country’s return to democratic governance in 1992, he reappeared on the political arena and contested the presidential elections of that year placing third,” he added.
Source:Starrfmonline.com