Former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has paid a touching tribute to the late Ya-Na Abukari Mahama II and charged the newly installed Regent, Kampakuya Naa Yakubu, to guard the peace and unity of Dagbon.
Speaking at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi on Friday during the installation of the new Regent, Dr Bawumia stood before chiefs, elders and subjects not just as a statesman, but as a son who remembers.
In his speech, delivered in Dagbani and laced with nostalgia, proverbs, and prayers, Dr Bawumia recalled his personal relationship with the late Ya-Na, which he said began not in Yendi but in Savelugu, when the late overlord was serving as Yoo-Naa.
"My relationship with the late Ya-Na did not begin in Yendi. It began in Savelugu, when he was Yoo-Naa," Dr Bawumia said.
He recounted a campaign visit to Savelugu in 2016, where he had gone to pay homage to the Yoo-Naa as NPP running mate. Dr Bawumia told a story of what transpired as he began his touching tribute.
"I said to the Yoo-Naa: If a man has two wives, and he only tastes the soup of one wife, how will he know which of them cooks the better soup?"
The arena erupted with chiefs and elders, including President John Mahama, bursting into laughter.
"What I meant," Dr Bawumia said, "was that the people of Dagbon should also try the NPP."
As Dr Bawumia continued his tribute, the laughter faded into something deeper. He described the late Ya-Na as a father figure and a man of wisdom, patience and peace, whose leadership consolidated the peace and unity of Dagbon after a period of disturbances.
Their bond, Dr Bawumia said, was "one of warmth and deep respect" that lasted from Savelugu to the ancient throne of Yendi.
The mood shifted again as Dr Bawumia turned to the man of the day—the new Regent, Kampakuya Naa Yakubu. He offered his prayers and congratulations to the Regent, urging him and the people to maintain the legacy of peace and unity left behind by the late Ya-Na.
The installation itself was a powerful display of Dagbon's sacred customs, characterised by traditional regalia, drumming and dancing, with people travelling from far and near to witness it.
