The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Savannah Region have called on the Gonja Traditional Council to clarify the extent of partisanship political engagements in the Gonjaland Traditional Area.
The party in a statement on March 5, 2013, signed by the Regional Secretary lawyer Salisu Be-Awuribe and copied to Bole-based Nkilgi Fm said the attention of the NDC was drawn to some behaviours and actions of their friends in the opposite political party, the NPP which they regard as unfortunate, at significant events organised at the Jakpa Palace, the Seat of the Gonja State.
The statement from the NDC Secretary said, “Their (NPP’s) flagrant disregard and conversion of Traditional Functions in Gonjaland into a potpourri of unacceptable political harbingering is one too many to recount and indeed it has the potential to take the shine out of the beautiful all-embracing customary programmes organised by the Chiefs and King of Gonjaland.”
The NDC said, a case in point was what was witnessed on the 7th Day Adua of the late King held at the forecourt of the Jakpa Palace on the 26th of February, 2023 which saw chiefs and people of different traditional areas, far and near and political parties, including the president of Ghana where the NPP had the effrontery to exhibit customary disrespect to print and brand black shirts in their name and colour and pretend to be ushers of guest to a non-political function like the funeral of the revered King.
The NDC statement further indicated that the act is considered as not only being disrespectful to the late King who was a unifier but an insult to the generality of Gonjaland and an affront to the dignity of the people of Gonjaland of varied political persuasions.
The NDC in Savannah Region further said they as the majority in the Region could have done same or worse more so when the most iconic Gonja of our president John Dramani Mahama is not just a Gonjalander but a Royal who could rise to the Skins of Yagbong through the Bole Royal line.
The statement indicated that, the attendance to the Kings funeral on the 3rd Day ‘Adua’, which is the most important customary funeral day without which no other funeral day will be performed for the deceased, did not make the NDC descend so low and to abuse the dignity of the deceased and the Gonja State by adorning the Jakpa Palace with party insignia and colours.,
The NDC in Savannah Region said; “We waited for this long to write to seek clarity because, we thought the organisers and the Traditional Council would have immediately and openly condemned that sacrilegious act of the NPP for their folly of smearing a purely Traditional function of the Gonja State like the funeral of the King of Gonjaland in partisan political colours but we seem to be waiting in Vain.”
The NDC said they are aware that other important traditional functions like the Investiture or Enskinment of the new King and others after that will be coming to which we shall be representing.
Source: nkilgifmonline.com
