All People's Party (Ghana)

All People's Party
LeaderVictor Owusu
ChairpersonJohn Bilson
General SecretaryObed Asamoah
DeputyMahama Iddrisu
Vice ChairpersonNii Armaa Amarteifio
J. H. Mensah
Founded1981
Banned31 December 1981
Merger ofPopular Front Party and United National Convention

The All People's Party was a former political party in Ghana. It was formed by the merger between the Popular Front Party (PFP) led by Victor Owusu,[1] the United National Convention (UNC) led by William Ofori Atta[2] and other parties in June 1981. It became the main opposition party in Ghana during the Third Republic until the military coup d'état on 31 December 1981 after which all political parties were banned by the Provisional National Defence Council. The ruling party at the time was the People's National Party under President Hilla Limann.

Five opposition parties initially set out to form the APP. These are the PFP, UNC, the Action Congress Party (ACP), the Social Democratic Front (SDF) and the Third Force Party (TFP).[3] The new party elected Victor Owusu of the PFP as its leader and Mahama Iddrisu of the UNC as deputy leader. Obed Asamoah, also of the UNC became the General Secretary with Obeng Manu as his deputy. John Bilson, leader of the TFP was elected as the chairman while Nii Amaa Amarteifio and J. H. Mensah of the PFP were appointed as deputy chairpersons.[4] The ACP however withdrew from the merger before it was finalised.[5]

  1. ^ "State burial for Victor Owusu". ghanaweb.com. Ghana Web. 9 February 2001. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  2. ^ Asamoah, Obed (2014). "1. Growing Up". The Political History of Ghana (1950-2013). The Experience of a Non-Conformist (eBook ed.). Bloomington, USA: AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4969-8563-7. Admittedly, this is also founded on the fact that I was the General-Secretary of the United National Convention (UNC), led by a veteran Danquah-Busia politician, Mr. William Ofori-Atta (Paa Willie), and subsequently the General Secretary of the All People's Party (APP), formed by the merger of the UNC with the Popular Front Party (PFP) in 1981, under the leadership of Mr. Victor Owusu, another Danquah-Busia stalwart.
  3. ^ "Leadership of minority parties is no problem". Ghana News. 10 (9): 2. September 1981. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Victor leads new party". Ghana News. 10 (10): 2. October 1981. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Action Party gives reasons for withdrawing from merger". Ghana News. 10 (10). Washington DC: Embassy of Ghana: 4. October 1981. Retrieved 17 March 2020.