In my politics, to engage and mix Chieftaincy and Ethnic sentiments is something I’m very reluctant and meticulous to do looking at how sensitive it has been.
Some of us are still young and continue to learn from the current political atmosphere, and it beats my imagination that some high-profile personalities dabble in Religious, Chieftaincy, and Ethnic conversations.
We all know how sensitive Chieftaincy and Tribal bigotry comments are when it comes to total division amongst people who may be aligned to one of such lineages.
I was taken aback when the current President of the Republic of Ghana, as a Presidential candidate for the NDC, in the full glare of the public, campaigned extensively on the above subject matter of concern.
Before the 2024 Presidential election, the current President John Dramani Mahama openly used the Bawku crisis to his advantage, making certain reckless statements and further promising one faction a Region.
He stated when he visited Bawku that “There’s peace in Bawku when the NDC is in power”. This is the level he went so low all in an attempt to canvas votes from one ethnic group in the Bawku conflict.
His statement, which I described as reckless and unguided, implied that the NPP administration was behind the killings and destruction of properties in the Bawku enclave.
However, we all know this conflict didn’t start under the regime of the Nana/ Bawumia administration, and because Mr Mahama was desperate for power, he used all means to whip the people in line for his political aspiration.
Given the statement made, it worked perfectly well for Mr Mahama and the NDC since the people voted against the NPP because of the divisive political statement churned out by him during the heated campaign period.
Fast forward to why the Bawku crisis is now an albatross hanging around the neck of President Mahama and the NDC. Ever since he was sworn in as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
The conflict in Bawku has escalated, and the number of lives and properties lost is unimaginable and a cause for worry to everyone in the Country, not only in the affected area.
The level at which it was in the previous government has increased, and the faction that was promised organized press Conferences demanding the fulfillment of the promise made by President Mahama and the NDC.
They felt they were being used for political gains and even went the extra mile to warn some government Appointees and members of the NDC not to set foot in the area.
Notable among them are the current Majority leader, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, and Hon. Laadi, who are all from the Bawku enclave and its surroundings. The IGP went there but he didn’t get it easy when his vehicle was targeted by a bullet from the rampaging group of people.
Presently, and with the level of escalation, the attacks and destruction of properties have moved from the Bawku enclave to the North East Region and the Ashanti Region.
A conflict that only occurred in Bawku has spread to different regions, with killings of innocent students, and in the Asawase, where two people have been shot dead, all linked to the Bawku crisis.
Importantly, this piece says it is devoid of bias or any intention of malice. To move further, I have these questions for the general public: Which government is in power? Is it the NPP administration? Why the escalation of the Bawku crisis?
The above questions beg for answers from people who are objective-minded in thinking, but let me help provide answers to the questions asked.
In short, President Mahama and the NDC are in power, and the Bawku crisis has even compounded and spread to different regions under the watch of a desperate Presidential Candidate of the NDC who promised what he couldn’t deliver to the people.
Many NDC fanatics and foot soldiers are quiet since this sensitive matter has escalated and spread to different regions and communities. This is as a result of what their leader, who is the current President, promised one faction of the Bawku crisis.
As the saying goes “You reap what you sow”.This is the situation the government of the day, led by President Mahama and the NDC, is faced with, like an albatross hanging on their necks.
They are full of disappointment since the people they promised are on them asking for the fulfillment of their promise during the campaign period. A desperate political campaign is waiting for desperate results.
A situation that President Mahama can’t run away from because he certainly made a promise and went further to accuse the NPP administration. President Mahama is caught in a web and he is in a state of confusion.
Furthermore, as a young politician, I abhor Religious, Ethnic, and Chieftaincy sentiments expressed by people because they want to score a cheap political point. These are matters we must desist from dabbling in since it has the potential to spark national tension.
In one political Party, we have people from all walks of life, and matters of this nature must be avoided and discarded in nation-building. We are one people irrespective of our Religious and Ethnic backgrounds.
In conclusion, Ghana, currently under the watch of President Mahama, is a dangerous place to live because of the level of escalation and insecurity. All as a result of pressures to fulfill a promise by President Mahama and the NDC.
Truly, President Mahama is at sea because of the insecure nature of the Country under his watch as the Commander in Chief of the armed forces. An albatross hangs on his neck, and he can’t run away from the mess he has created for himself and the NDC government.
For regret, I know he is full of that for the words he can’t swallow back when he was desperate for power, and Bawku is in the news not for the good of the country but for an image he is not happy with.
As they say, President Mahama will carry his own cross and learn from that.
May peace prevail in Bawku and its surrounding areas and the Nation at large.
Shalom!
Columnist-Abdulai Abdul-Razak
Tamale South Constituency
[email protected]
