Rawlings Has The Ability To Turn Chieftaincy Matters Into Politics Of Attrition – Samuel Awuku

A member of Nana Akuffo Addo’s Communication Team, Mr. Samuel Awuku, says in addressing the crisis in Dagbon, one cannot do away with key actors and players like ex-president Jerry John Rawlings and “his anointed son to Ghana, Professor Mills”.

The two political figures, according to him, used the murder of the Ya-Na as a major campaign tool and achieved in painting the NPP and some Dagbon residents black, even though they did not have any shred of evidence to back their claims.

“President Mills is winding and making excuses for his shortfalls over the Ya-Na’s death after making an endorsement to search for the killers when he was a candidate,” Mr. Awuku said.

Contributing to Oman Fm’s Morning show dubbed “Public Agenda”, Mr. Awuku was of the opinion that for Mr. Rawlings to assert that the High Court freed the 15 suspects because certain findings were skipped during the investigations is ample testimony that “the former president believes those people (acquitted) are the killers of Ya-Na,” he said.

He indicted former President Rawlings for consistently dabbling in chieftaincy matters just to “play mischief”, and expressed fear over his (Rawlings’) “ability to turn chieftaincy matters into politics of attrition.”

To buttress his claim, he cited a publication by the “Chronicle” newspaper in 1994, where the then Yagbonwura is said to have accused ex-president Rawlings of arming one side in the Konkomba and the Nanumba war, which claimed the lives of several thousands of people.

He described as a shame, allegations by the NDC’s National Women’s Organiser, Anita De Souso that the judge who adjudicated on the Ya-Na trial (Justice E.K. Ayebi) “wanted to grace Akufo-Addo’s birthday with a present by freeing the 15 suspects.”