Some youth groups in the Northern Region have petitioned the Chairman of the Committee of Eminent Kings for the immediate resolution of the Dagbon chieftaincy conflict.
Led by Dagbon Malima Zung – to wit Dagbon must be today – they began with a demonstration through some principal streets of Yendi amid heavy security to register their displeasure and frustration over the delay to enskin a new overlord for Dagbon.
Dubbed Abudu-Andani ‘Di wumti’ Demo literally meaning Abudu-Andani ‘we are tired’, the demonstration saw over thousands mainly youth make an appeal to well-meaning sons and daughters of the land to resolve the age-old conflict that has crippled Dagbon over the years.
The youth expressed worry over the “demeaning effect” of the Abudu-Andani problem.
“There is no Dagomba man or woman who has not tasted the demeaning effect of this Abudu-Andani brouhaha. Be you wealthy or poor, educated or uneducated, man or woman, old or young, the Dagbon standstill has damaged our reputation enough, ‘di wumti’.”
The long-standing dispute, they said, has made Dagbon less strong and even a more vulnerable kingdom in the face of continued disunity and in-fighting and, in recent times, has become the laughing stock in Ghana.
“We are sad to say that Dagbon is still the political football of Ghanaian politics, normally used by politicians to advance their selfish political ambitions and in the process foment disunity, bitter hatred among our fold,” one of the demonstrators said.
They called on the Committee sitting on the matter to bring a lasting solution to the crisis for peace to prevail.
“We want finality to this issue. We are calling on the Committee [of the Eminent Kings] to immediately come out with the final programme for the performance of the funerals of the late Kings of Dagbon Naa Mahamadu Abdulai IV and Naa Yakubu Andani II to pave way for the next Yaa-Naa to be enskinned for us all to make progress.”
They stated in unequivocal terms that the powers of the President and the Asantehene, the Chairman of the Committee, have been rendered almost useless by the two royal families who they claim do not want progress of Dagbon but their individual interests.
They threatened to allow stiffer pressure to bear on the royals, Chiefs, the Committee, and the President if they do not resolve the conflict.
“We will soon embark on an exercise dubbed ‘Occupy the palaces and street’, so that no movements of chiefs and vehicles will be allowed since our progress as sons and daughters of Dagbon is stampeded by the Chiefs and government by their actions and inaction.”
Receiving the petition on behalf of government, Municipal Chief Executive for Yendi Alhaji Hammed Abubakari Yussuf lauded the youth for embarking on a peaceful demonstration and pledged to send their petition to the appropriate quarters for redress.
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