DAASEBREH Akuamoah Agyapong II, the Omanhene of Kwahu Traditional Council in the Eastern Region, has banned the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) from campaigning on all lands under his jurisdiction.
Some NDC officers had gone to a river in Nkawkaw in the Kwahu West Municipality to invoke curses over issues relating to the ongoing voters’ registration exercise; and when the traditional authorities summoned them to explain the rationale behind their action, they snubbed the overlord of the land.
The gurus, believed to be involved in the bizarre action which took place at a river called Trado in Nkawkaw, were leaders of the party in the region.
They include the regional communication officer, Dallas Williams; deputy regional youth organizer, Sidi Bello; Daniel Aboagye, a former youth organizer, and Mark Oliver Kevor, former regional secretary of the party.
Later, Mr. Kevor, who was once a board member of the National Communications Authority (NCA) during the NDC regime, went to his radio station, known as Okwahu FM based in Nkawkaw, to defend his action.
They invoked the ‘curses’ because they said their political opponents, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), had allegedly imported people to the region to register in the ongoing voters’ registration exercise.
When news about their action reached the palace of the Kwahumanhene, the traditional authorities summoned them because they had issued a directive against invocation of curses on the land.
Mr. Kevor was said to have used his radio station to lambast the chiefs, insinuating that the chiefs were being hypocritical for inviting them to the palace and did not honour the invitation.
The angry chiefs, after a meeting on Thursday, stormed the riverside where the incident took place with sheep, schnapps, charcoal, pepper, among others, to perform rituals and revoked the curses.
The chiefs, led by the Okwahu Akyemehene, Nana Akuoko, slaughtered the sheep and used other items at the “Bosam Bouho” to pacify and purify the river.
The chief linguist then warned that the NDC, from Thursday, had been banned from campaigning on Kwahu lands, including posting campaign posters anywhere at Kwahu.
They also warned that both radio stations, Okwahu FM (Nkawkaw) and Afram FM (Tease) owned by Mr. Kevor, should not operate on their lands.
The chief linguist said that they were not against the NDC, but rather the disrespectful action exhibited, including raining insults on the chiefs on the radio stations which could not be overlooked.
NPP Rebuttal
Meanwhile, the NPP Regional Secretary, Jeffrey Konadu Addo, has rubbished the NDC claims that they were busing people to register at Afram Plains.
“I do not understand the NDC on this postulation. This is NPP’s stronghold – Nkawkaw, Abetifi and Mpraeso. When elections are held, our margins are quite large, so why would we want to bus people from a constituency to another; to achieve what?”
He said the NPP took bold action when errant party members invoked curses and wanted the NDC to emulate its example by sanctioning those who had gone wayward.
FROM Daniel Bampoe, Kwahu – Abene