John Mahama
The Northern Regional wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged chiefs in the Northern Region to call former President to order over his ‘bad’ blood with the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The Asantehene recently revealed at the UN Peace Forum in the US that he had to intervene to persuade former President Mahama to concede defeat in the 2016 Presidential election.
But an aide to Mr. Mahama and former Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, swiftly issued a statement under the letterhead of Mr. Mahama’s Office, saying the former President willingly accepted defeat.
Mr. Debrah said Mr. Mahama never had to be persuaded to accept defeat.
Former Communications Minister under Mahama, Edward Omane Boamah, also tweeted, saying big men too can lie, in apparent reference to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Even though the remarks were made by his former appointees, many believe they were instigated by him.
In view of that, the Northern Regional NPP, in a statement signed by its Communication Director, Sule Salifu, told the chiefs that they ought “to call Candidate John Dramani Mahama to order before things ascends to unexplained proportion.”
It said “we further wish to entreat the following Kings in the region to openly rebuke Candidate Mahama for exhibiting and directing uncouth and uncultured behavior towards the King of the Asante Kingdom:
The traditional leaders appealed to are the Ya Naa Abubakari Mahama II, the overlord of Dagbon., Yagbonwura Tuntumba Boresa Sulemana Japka I, overlord of the Gonja Kingdom, Nayiri, Naa Bohogu Abdulai Mahami Sheriga, among others.
The statement noted that “the Yagbonwura and Nayiri in particular, have worked tirelessly with the Asantehene in the search for lasting peace for Dagbon and can attest to the kind of integrity the Asantehene is wielding. This is not the time to be silent. It is time to talk openly against elements like John Mahama who don’t have respect for tradition.”
If this behavior of Candidate Mahama is not properly and openly condemned, we may set a precedent for others to attack the Ya Naa, Yagbonwura and Nayiri when they are given the opportunity to address the UN General Assembly in future, according to the statement.
BY Melvin Tarlue