‘Exercise restraint’
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the Yendi constituency, Alhaji Hamza Y. Alikali, has appealed to indigenes of Dagbon to exercise restraint and live in peace.
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“As individuals from the same ancestry,” Alhaji Hamza said “it is unfortunate that we allow factions to this chieftaincy to ruin our relationship, hence the need to refrain from it and think of development.”
Alhaji Hamza made the appeal during an interaction with the Daily Graphic on the stance taken by the two royal families linked to the kingdom of Dagbon in the Northern Region of Ghana.
Press conference
The Abudu Gate, in a press conference last week, threatened to visit the Gbewa Palace and perform the funeral rites of the late Ya-Na Abdulai, attributing their decision to what they described as “the lack of commitment by President Mahama and the eminent chiefs to perform the funeral rites of the late chief at the palace.”
They said that was heightening tension among members of the family.
The statement gave the government and the committee a deadline of January 26 to come clear on the issue, claiming that the head of the kingmakers in Dagbon, the Kuga-Na, was not properly enskinned.
A rebuttal
In a rebuttal, the Andani family, at a press conference in Tamale, warned the Abudu family that “they would be embarking on a suicide mission if they start a violent confrontation this time,” debunking their claim on the Kuga-Na’s enskinment.
The statement quoted the spokesperson of the Andani family, Gawei Tamalgu-Na Mahamadu, as saying that “Na Mahamadu Abdulai was not properly and legally installed.”
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Extreme stance
Alhaji Hamza urged the two parties to be circumspect and follow the road map judiciously.
“Yendi’s location is strategic, owing to the metal ore found in the Zabzugu District, and we should be discussing how to promote its development, “he stated.
Alhaji Hamza advised the youth to see themselves as brothers from the same lineage.
That gesture, he said, would lead to the development of Dagbon and Ghana at large.
Background
In March 2002, the overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, was killed when two gates, the Abudus and Andanis, clashed.
The Asantehene-led Committee of Eminent Chiefs, including the Yagbon Wura (Paramount Chief of Gonja) and the Nayire (Paramount Chief of Mamprugu) was institued by the government to find a traditional way of resolving the conflict, and is yet to conclude its work and make recommendations.