Public debate over the legacy of the late Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka has been reignited following comments by Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, which appear to defend the 1966 military coup that overthrew Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

The renewed discussion comes after government announced plans to introduce a bill to remove General Kotoka’s name from the Accra International Airport, a proposal supporters say is justified given his role in toppling Nkrumah’s administration.

Reacting to the development in a Facebook post, Mr Cudjoe put forward a motion inviting public debate on the matter. However, the wording of the post seemed to suggest support for the February 24, 1966 coup.

“The 1966 coup was the only way Nkrumah's murderous, dictatorial and one-party state could be removed!” Cudjoe wrote, adding simply, “Debate.”

His remarks have since drawn mixed reactions.

While some agree that the military intervention ended what they describe as authoritarian rule and political repression at the time, others argue that coups undermine democratic governance and should never be justified. A third group questioned whether the post reflected Cudjoe's personal stance or was merely intended to spark dialogue.

Supporters of Kotoka maintain that the 1966 takeover halted economic decline and restored political freedoms, and view the naming of the airport after him as recognition of his historical role in shaping the country’s political trajectory.

Critics, however, contend that celebrating a coup leader sets a troubling precedent and weakens Ghana’s commitment to constitutional rule. They argue that Nkrumah remains the central figure in Ghana’s independence struggle and Africa's Pan-African leadership, and that attempts to legitimise the military intervention that ousted him risk distorting history and dishonouring his revered legacy.

The government’s proposal to rename the airport has, therefore, revived longstanding national conversations about how Ghana should remember both Nkrumah and Kotoka, and how the country balances its revolutionary past with its well-established democratic tradition.

In Parliament, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga said removing Kotoka’s name from the airport would honour the Ga people on whose land the facility is located. Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, however, argued that such a move would dishonour the people of the Volta Region, where General Kotoka hailed from.

The issue is expected to generate further debate as the bill is brought before the House.