Retired Ghana Armed Forces officer Corporal, Matthew Adabuga, has provided insights into Jerry John Rawlings’ declining popularity during his tenure in the 1980s.
In a JoyNews interview, Corporal Adabuga (rtd) revealed that Rawlings’ image suffered significantly following the murder of three High Court judges in 1981.
This incident sparked widespread discontent within the Ghana Armed Forces, leading to multiple coup attempts against the Rawlings administration.
One of the most notable and nearly successful attempts occurred on June 19, 1983, when a group of soldiers, aided by colleagues from Togo, nearly ousted Rawlings. According to Corporal Adabuga (rtd), the rebels secured crucial installations across the country and came close to taking control of strategic points, including Gates 1 and 3 of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.
However, the coup ultimately failed due to a lack of centralized leadership and conflicting interests among the factions involved.
Corporal Adabuga (rtd) explained that internal power struggles diverted attention from the collective goal of overthrowing Rawlings. This discord led to tactical errors, allowing the Rawlings regime to regroup and regain control.
He emphasized that once the rebels engaged in infighting, they lost their strategic advantage and failed to maintain cohesive military tactics. This internal strife enabled Rawlings’ administration to consolidate its position and thwart the coup attempt successfully.
“We used Circle and passed through Kanda, so we took the soldiers on guard duties by surprise. They were expecting us from the front, but we took them from the back. We took over Gates 1 and 3 of the Ghana Broadcasting Company (GBC), so it was just easy for us.
“Giwa and the others were chasing after the soldiers in a bid to capture Gate 2. As they were running there, they came across the studios and decided to announce it. Some group decided to announce on behalf of one Colonel who was far in Kejebi. Giwa and others were also surprised that the Colonel was not part of the plan, so they also rallied and wrote something to announce.
“A melee ensued because they were fighting among themselves in the GBC studio. They were fighting and preventing each other from announcing it, but Giwa’s brother won and announced it.
“The lack of discipline and leadership led to the failure. Those who were to take over Gate 2 of GBC failed to apply the basic tactics we had learned and ought to apply. They also failed to send a search party to mop up those that were cut off in the operations. They also failed to secure the area, and it was because there were vested interests,” he said.