Tamale Residents Go Wild Over Aliu Mahama

The purported death of former Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama which turned out to be a hoax has angered sections of residents in the Northern Region, who are not taking kindly to the misinformation.

They are wondering why people would want their relation dead when medically he has not been confirmed dead by doctors seeing to his health needs.

News of the death of the statesman which spread like wildfire in various online media outlets, social media networks and a number of radio stations left residents confused as to the authenticity of the reports in the heat of family members discounting the reports.

The circulating information which gained momentum at about 5:00 p.m. last Wednesday, saw residents trooping to the family house of the Former Vice President for first-hand information about the reports making the rounds.

Others started making phone calls to relations in Accra or persons close to the Former Vice President to confirm the information making the rounds as it was the second in its series.

But family members maintained he was in critical condition after being on admission for 10 days at the Cardiothoracic Centre unit of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and attempts were rife for his condition to be stabilized by doctors of the facility.

Residents only kept their calm after the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, Professor Nii Otu Nartey, denied the death of Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Accra-based Joy FM reiterating that his condition was critical and a team of doctors from various units of the hospital at the time were working on him.

He expressed confidence that Alhaji Aliu Mahama would pull through from his current condition, hinting of possible arrangements to fly him out of the country for further attention.

According Farouk Mahama, son of the Former Vice President who spoke to DAILY GUIDE from the hospital, he was surprised at those peddling the falsehood that his father was dead wondering who could have been behind such a grand mischief.

He indicated that if it was the hope of such persons for his father to die, then they were in for the surprise of their lives, expressing confidence in the doctors to contain the health of his father.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama after his eight-year term as Vice President under President John Agyekum Kufuor has been a regular visitor to Tamale, the Northern Regional capital where he has won the hearts of many residents.

In the last couple of years, he has been attending major celebrations in the region and taking time off his busy schedule to visit some prominent persons including traditional rulers and religious leaders in the three Northern Regions.

This has earned him respect among the residents who said he is a true son of the soil and traced his roots to foster good relationship between him and his kinsmen.

These were some of the reasons why residents became uncomfortable on hearing he had passed on, but were given hope when his death was denied by both the hospital authorities and family who maintained he was recuperating.