President John Dramani Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama and the Eastern Regional Minister, Mavis Ama Frimpong, have apologized to the Okyeman Council on behalf of Bismarck Tawiah Boateng and Apau Wiredu Haruna, Regional Chairman and Youth Organizer respectively of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who were banned from entering the Okyenhene’s Ofori Panin Fie palace in Kyebi.
The Okyeman Council some months ago banned the two NDC executives of the party in the region for allegedly insulting the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, and dragging his name in the mud.
The regional minister reportedly knelt down before the Okyenhene and the Okyenhemaa, Nana Dokua, on Thursday pleading for Tawiah Boateng and Haruna Apau Wiredu during a closed-door meeting. This was when President Mahama and his team paid a courtesy call on the Okyenhene as part of their Eastern Regional campaign tour to seek re-election.
According to sources, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin expressed disgust for the leadership of the NDC for not showing any commitment to find solution to the impasse between the two regional executives and the Okyeman Traditional Council. The Okyenhene reportedly disclosed that it was only the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Aseidu Nketia and Ambassador Emmmanuel Victor Smith who once came to promise him [Okyenhene] that they woud parade the duo before him for an amicable resolution of the matter but they never showed up.
The spokesman for the Okyeman Traditional Council, Daniel Ofori Atta, disclosed to DAILY GUIDE that the president stood up before the Okyenhene and stated, “It seems a lot of people have lost moral value and go on the social media to insult leaders, which is very regrettable.”
Mr Ofori Atta said President Mahama claimed he was very sorry that after the reckless comments made by the duo, no effort had been made by the party to make the offenders apologize to the Okyenehene and the Traditional Council. He, as the leader of the NDC, rendered unqualified apology to the Okyeman on behalf of the executives, adding that he would ensure that Messrs Tawiah Boateng and Haruna Apau take steps to perform any customary rites that would finally resolve the impasse.
The Okyeman spokesman said the Okyenhene asked President Mahama and the regional minister to ask Bismarck Tawiah Boateng and Apau Wiredu Haruna to come and render apology to the Okyeman Traditional Council and publish same in the media.
FROM Daniel Bampoe, Kyebi