The General Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Frimpong Kodua, has alleged that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) played a role in stoking tribal tensions in Bawku, describing the current situation in the conflict-prone area as “an unprecedented crisis.”
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, July 29, Mr Kodua accused President John Mahama, then a candidate, of attempting to exploit the instability in Bawku for political gain.
“The then candidate Mahama made several pronouncements and wanted to take advantage of the crisis in Bawku by accusing the then government, led by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, that when the NDC comes to power, the Bawku crisis would be resolved,” Mr Kodua stated.
He further claimed that developments in Bawku leading up to the 2024 polls suggest that the NDC deliberately inflamed ethnic tensions in the region.
“If we see or realise issues that happened in Bawku prior to the 2024 elections, we can tell that indeed the NDC orchestrated several tribal issues in Bawku,” he said. “That is why we find ourselves in this unprecedented crisis in Bawku.”
The NPP General Secretary, however, stressed that his party remained committed to peace and national cohesion, stating that the NPP was prepared to support efforts by the government to bring lasting peace to the area.
“For the sake of our democracy, for the sake of people’s lives that matter, we are ever ready to assist the government in finding a lasting solution in Bawku,” he affirmed.
Mr Kodua called on the NDC government to approach the matter with a sense of national responsibility and not allow political interests to derail efforts at resolving the crisis.
“We are calling on the NDC government to treat this matter as a matter of national interest and shield away their political tendencies and interest,” he said.
Bawku, located in the Upper East Region, has been plagued by intermittent ethnic conflict for decades.
The area has seen a resurgence of violence in recent years, raising concerns among human rights groups, security analysts.
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