The minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) in parliament has waded into the chieftaincy dispute at Bimbilla in the Northern Region, warning the government to stop the intended burial of the late Nakpa Naa, Salifu Dawuni in Bimbilla at all cost.
The minority said Bimbilla has been beset with chieftaincy dispute resulting in the imposition of a long-standing curfew on the town.
The minority therefore indicated that allowing the late Nakpa Naa – whose eligibility as a recognized chief of Bimbilla is a subject pending before the Supreme Court – to be buried at Bimbilla could worsen the security situation in the town and lead to further bloodshed.
The party gave the warning yesterday at a hurriedly organized press briefing in parliament.
Spokesperson on Interior and Defence, James Agalga, who led the media briefing, said that residents of Bimbilla had started fleeing the town after the intended burial of the late Nakpa Naa, Sailifu Dawuni was made public.
The minority alleged that some powerful politicians in the area are behind the planned burial of the late chief, which could seriously undermine the fragile peace in the area.
“The NDC is very much concerned about this development in Bimbilla as it has the potential to compromise the peace, order, security and stability of the area,” the minority said.
According to Mr Agalga, the planned burial of the late Nakpa Naa without consultation with the relevant traditional authority in the area has the potential to compromise the authority of the traditional authority and also the peace of the area.
He explained that when President Nana Akufo-Addo visited the Northern Region recently, he admonished his appointees to desist from interfering in chieftaincy matters and that such matters be left to the traditional authorities. Agalga therefore said he did not understand why some politicians are still meddling in chieftaincy matters.
Agalga, who is the NDC MP for Builsa North, said the minority was even more worried especially when members of the Gbugmalili family – a faction in the chieftaincy dispute – held an emergency press conference in Accra yesterday, drawing the government’s attention to a possible mayhem in Bimbilla if the burial goes ahead.
The minority therefore called on the government to put a freeze on the burial till the case is eventually determined at the Supreme Court to avoid any violence.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr