Nana Akufo Addo
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called for a concerted support for the people of Dagbon, stating that this is not the time for jubilation or humiliation following last Tuesday’s High Court ruling.
The intervention of the 2012 flag-bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), contained in a statement he issued yesterday, is coming on the heels of various reactions following the ruling which freed 15 persons arrested and arraigned for their alleged role in the murder of Ya Na Yakubu Andani II.
All Ghanaians have a responsibility to support the people of this part of the country to stay the course of reconciliation and development, he said.
“This is neither the time for jubilation nor humiliation. We all have a duty to help the people of Dagbon to stay on the course of lasting peace.
Let us see the current development as an opportunity to promote reconciliation amongst all the people of Dagbon, especially between the Abudus and Andanis, so that lasting peace can be restored to that important area of our nation,” he said.
He expressed dismay at the reaction of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) functionaries and government which tend to, as he put it, impugn the integrity of the judiciary following the High Court ruling on the Ya Na case.
“Statements made by functionaries of the ruling National Democratic Congress, including Government officials, have sought to impugn the integrity of the Judiciary to suggest an institutional bias against the Government,” he stated.
Continuing, he said, “This trend is dangerous to our democracy and must not be actively led or instigated by a ruling party” adding, “The independence of the Judiciary must be respected by all, especially those elected to lead, since judicial independence is the ultimate guarantee of freedom and justice.”
Government, he said, must be mindful of the repercussions of their reactions and be guided accordingly.
The Presidency’s response to the developments in Dagbon, he went on, “must be measured and guided by the national interest and, in particular, the collective interest of the people of Dagbon.
It must stand the test of time. Decisions and actions must be guided by the rule of law, respect for the laid down processes of Dagbon succession and the security of the nation.”
President Mills, he said, should understand the volatility of the subject and avoid managing it in a way that can have negative repercussions on national security.
“We are calling on the President of the Republic, who has supreme executive power in our state, to appreciate the extreme volatility of the situation in Dagbon and the possible negative impact a deterioration could have on national security,” he said.
The reactions to the court ruling, he said, have been worrying, as he stated “in all humility, the best way forward to seeking justice and reconciliation is to find accommodation for opposing views, forgiveness for old wrongs and by working together to build for the collective, a better, more fulfilling future.”
By A.R. Gomda
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