When comrades fall in battle we don’t look back, we walk over them – Nketia

Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary, National Democratic Congress (NDC)

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) General Secretary has justified the decision to go ahead with the #GhanaFirst protest despite the arrest of his deputy over some comments.

Addressing hundreds of protesters in Accra Wednesday, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said progressives all over the world are neither cowed nor distracted by political obstacles.

"They ignore them and focus on the mission ahead of them until victory is won," he charged a teeming crowd made up of NDC, Convention People's Party (CPP), People's National Convention (PNC) and All People’s Congress (APC) supporters.

Hundreds at the #GhanaFirst Demo

Mr Nketia was reacting to the Tuesday arrest of his deputy, Koku Anyidoho, by the police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over comments he made on an Accra-based Happy FM.

The NDC Deputy General Secretary had threatened an overthrow of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the Ghana-US Defence Cooperation Agreement ratified by Parliament last Friday.

Mr Anyidoho said the current government will be ousted in the manner the Progress Party (PP) of Dr Abrefa Busia was overthrown by military officer, Col. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, on January 13, 1972.

“Somebody should tell Nana Akufo-Addo that history has a very interesting way of repeating itself. There’ll be a civil revolt,” he said.

But he was arrested at a news conference held at the International Press Centre to outline measures put in place to protest the military deal.

Mr Anyidoho has since been charged with “treason” over the comment that has roundly been condemned.

Some social commentators had said the #GhanaFirst demonstration would have been postponed because of the arrest of the NDC Deputy General Secretary but that did not happen.

Mr Nketia said the reason his deputy was “subjected to this brazen illegality” was to thwart the protest but they rose above the expectations of the detractors to go ahead with it.

“In the progressive world when we are fighting battles, some comrades will fall but when they fall we don’t stop to bury them; we walk over their dead bodies and continue with the mission until victory is won,” he said.