Guilty of casting a slur on PNDC - What Yakubu Dadinkai Said
It is important though to state what his crime was if only for record purposes. In a rambling and sometimes incoherent article that he called "the images of the Founder, his widow, the Chairman must be protected.. in the national interest" Dadinkai tried to sell the idea that the 'People's Daily Graphic stories on Madam Fathia Nkrumah had sought to damage the image of the late ex-President Nkrumah.
The Graphic had carried a story attributed to government sources which tried to show that Madam Fathia's lamentations about starving in Ghana were highly exaggerated. The story gave a detailed catalogue of the monies and privileges extended to Madam Fathia.
Dadinkai claimed that by publishing such a detailed account of the money being spent on Fathia at a time when harsh economic measures had been introduced, the paper was trying to divert attention from the economic problems to direct people's anger to Madam Fathia.
"Lack of an air-condition and a broken washing basin which had supposedly reduced Madam Fathia to a bush girl in Accra ought not to have been published in any paper in the face of the economic difficulties that Ghana is now facing.
Madam Fathia could make mistakes. She is a woman. But her position in the history of Ghana, or may we say, destiny of Ghana is very prominent.. Osagyefo's widow I should be out of contempt of contemporary Ghanaian politics..."
With a picture of Nkrumah captioned good-bye to Ghana, one of J.J. Rawlings that said my fight is Nkrumah's fight and another of a weeping Fathia that also said goodbye to Ghana, the revolutionary Dadinkai had left the unmistakable impression that the PNDC was not living up to its stated aim of fighting Nkrumah's fight.. The next day his marching orders came and he was sent on retirement.
Dadinkai also saw in the Graphic publication, the hand of the same colonialist forces that overthrew Nkrumah and made him suffer and die in exile.
Since, according to Mr Dadinkai, the Osagyefo had done so much for Ghana, and Flt.Lt. Rawlings had pledged himself to continue where Nkrumah left off, it was criminal for Nkrumah's widow to be disgraced under Rawlings regime.
Some said "John, print it," others said, "Not so", some said "It might do good" others said "No".
Pilgrims' Progress - Apology for his Book.
