A group calling itself “Peace for Savannah” has rebuked the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for supposedly promoting tribal and ethnic sentiments in the country’s body politic ahead of the 2020 general elections.
The group contends that Mr. Mahama’s recent alleged ethnocentric comments send strong signals in stoking divisions among ethnic groups in the country in an unacceptable manner as far as the country’s democracy is concerned.
John Mahama has come under intense pressure for reposting an opinion piece that tagged certain officials of the governing New Patriotic Party as “Akyem Sakawa mafias” on his social media page.
In a statement signed by the convenor of Peace for Savannah, members of the association warned that it was time former President, John Mahama and the NDC realised the people of the Savannah Region and Gonjaland will no longer fall for any tribal politics.
“The people of Gonjaland are not tribal bigots. They are very much awake and discerning. Undoubtedly, former President John Dramani Mahama is our own. We are not disowning him at all. The people of Gonjaland pushed him to the top, so he will get us development. He was never taught by our Chiefs and elders how to insult and cast aspersions at other tribes. To be straight on the point, his insult on the good people of Akyem was unfortunate and backward. As sons and daughters of Gonjaland, we would not also be happy should anybody single us out and heap insults on us just because a Gonja is the flagbearer of the NDC. We will not take it and shall take the same up if it ever occurs.”
The statement further added: “the tribal bigotry must end. From 2008 when former president Mahama was nominated as the running mate to the flagbearer of the NDC to date, the NDC has been on us to vote for them because of our brother, former President Mahama. We have religiously followed through their call and voted massively for the NDC but nothing good came to the Gonja Kingdom in return. Almost all our roads were unmotorable, many of our youth were unemployed, the Savannah region was the least in terms of access to electricity and worst of it, they never demonstrated a dot of political will and commitment to the realization of the almost four decades dream of the people of Gonjaland having its own administrative region and the almighty perennial water problem in Damongo, the seat of the Gonja kingdom lingered on unattended to.”
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The group singled out President Akufo-Addo who they described as an Akyem man who has brought unprecedented levels of development to the area by providing them with an administrative region of their own, constructing roads, extending electricity to communities, paying regular visits to the kingdom and employing many of the youth in the area.
As a result, they have promised not to fight other tribes unjustly because of Mr. Mahama’s “desperate ambition” after he failed to bring them the needed development.
“We are therefore calling on all well-meaning people of the Gonja kingdom to disregard the wanton desperate attempt to pitch us against people who rather mean well for us. We should and shall not trade our development for a group of selfish individuals who had ample power to develop us but boastfully refused to do so. We must and shall weigh President Akufo-Addo and candidate Mahama on their track records in the kingdom and vote wisely and not again on the flimsy reason that one of them is a son of the kingdom and hence, compulsorily vote for him. The rule of the game is merits and competence and not tribal bigotry”, the statement added.