Sam George
Samuel Nartey George, the parliamentary candidate of the National Democracy Congress (NDC) in the Ningo-Prampram Constituency, seems to have taken his quarrel with the Ningo Traditional Council to another level after he allegedly hired some thugs to stop the chiefs from holding a grand durbar to climax this year’s Homowo festival.
The people of Ningo, who could not climax their annual festival with a grand durbar for the first time in the history of the fishing community, are said to be extremely angry with the NDC aspirant.
Nene Kano Atiapa III, Acting President and Mankralo of the Ningo Traditional Area, stated that the action of Sam George against his own people was rather helping his opponents to win the parliamentary seat in the forthcoming general elections.
He alleged that the NDC’s candidate disruption of the grand durbar of chiefs due to the chieftaincy dispute in the area has left an indelible scar due to the embarrassment caused the Traditional Council.
“Due to the chieftaincy dispute in the area, which Sam George is aware of, he went and influenced some few people of Lowekpono: they are about 20 people to disrupt the durbar, and the people of Ningo are very angry with him over what happened.
“We heard about the calculated plan of Sam George, and we reported the matter to the police who advised them to desist from such unlawful act but they disobeyed the order and executed their plan,” the acting President stated.
The Mankralo further stated that “I told them- District Chief Executive (DCE) and the police, that they have politicized the durbar and I was not happy with that.
According to them, the traditional council was not going to campaign as result of the invitation extended to Rebecca Akufo-Addo, wife of the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as the guest of honour.
According to sources, the rationale behind the disruption of the grand durbar was that a native of the area, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, wife of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), was scheduled to be the guest of honour at the programme.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo has addressed the gathering on numerous occasions during the Homowo Festival.
Many celebrants and dignitaries were distraught after the thugs stormed the venue of the programme at about 6am and destroyed the canopies and podium.
The traditional council was finally compelled to call off the whole programme without performing any customary rites for Nene Djange, the supposed god of the town.
From Vincent Kubi, Tema