Attempts to delve into the intricate episodes in the Ya-Na ascencions from the ancient history of the 1860’s to appreciate the recent happenings is always a difficult task. One wonders whether it is worth all the efforts. I am one of the persons who always look at the puzzle from the last 40 years or so.

From my little abode, I see that the matters concerning ascension to the YA-Na throne have been fuelled to complexity to satisfy politicians and political dynamics, of course supported by some Dagbon state rouble rousers who act on self interest or of the feuding gates. I shall soon explain.

We know that during General I. K.Akyeampong tregime in May1974, Gbon Lana Yakubu Andani (Kampakuya Naa) ascended the skins of Yanis as Ya Naa Yakubu II. Of course he was from the Andani gate and what we all knew was that after the death of Ya Naa Yakubu Andani II, the Abudu gate would get their turn as the agreed rotation principle stipulated. We observers in the south of Ghana learnt at that time that the Andani gate, before then, was not happy about the total period of Andani ascendancy to the YA-NA throne from the 1890’s. It was said that by some twists of fortune, the Abudu ascendancy in the years between 1890’s and 1974 was far more than the Andani’s in the same period. In other words, the Abudus had had a greater share of the YA-NA rule in terms of years than the Andanis before then.

It was with this mindset that Ya Naa Yakubu Andani II ruled for 28 years from 1974 to 2002, when he was murdered together with others in the dastardly Abudu/Andani clashes at the time J A Kufuor was the President. It is recognised that Yakubu Andani II was killed. His death was not natural and the Andanis seem to think the Abudu natural ascendancy cannot then hold as per the agreed principle. There is therefore this stalemate since 2002, whereby Ghana has had to endure YA-Na crisis whereby the Abudus are being prevented from Yani ascendancy because Andanis want another shot at the throne yet again. NDC/NPP bitter political manipulations and struggles over who is who in Dagbon reached the zenith in the 2008 Presidential campaigns where NDC manifestoed to arrest the Ya Na killers and which they have failed up to date. Now NDC are quite as if nothing ever happened. At the same time the 3 wise kings commissioned to investigate and generate the road map to peace in Dagbon are stuck with no implementation plan on the subject.

It is 11 years into the death of Ya Naa Yakubu Andani II and the Andanis are still in charge of the skins of Yani albeit through a regent without any hint of settlement of this high profile case. A lot of questions now come to my mind, thus:

1. For how long will the settlement of YaNa crisis be in the limbo?

2. Are we waiting for the current Andani regent of Yani, the Gbolin Naa to die so that another round of confusion is created all over again about the Yani succession?

3. Is it that if the regent Gbolin should die in any unnatural circumstances now, the Andanis will stake further claim to Yani ascendancy?

I am at a loss to understand the seeming plots, manipulations and manouverings in the whole Dagbon matter. I don’t trust NDC. They are behind all this. With the Andani regent still in charge after 11 years and still many years indefinite the perpetuation of Andani rule is clearly on the line. By 2002, the Abudus were known to be the next on line. Yakubu Andani II had reigned for 28 years. He was old and naturally did not have many years to live. Abudus were about next to take their price. The Andanis were about losing their price. Then in this setting Yakubu Andani II is murdered in the Gbewaa clashes. The Andanis say they will not give up the Yani-ship because the occupant’s death was not natural.

With this background, I am tempted to believe that the Andanis took advantage of the confusion in 2002 and thus deliberately murdered Yakubu Andani II to prevent the Abudus from ascending to Yani with the claim that the latter’s death was not natural - of course working out the murder in circumstances which depict the Abudus and NPP as rather being responsible for it. The way NDC jumped on the issue and gave it prominence in their political manifesto defies understanding.

In other words, it was a vicious NDC grand design executed to embarrass NPP and also to perpetuate Andani rule in Dagbon to compensate for the Andani seeming lost years, 1890-1974, referred to earlier. The perpetuation of Andani rule has been achieved. The Andani regency is surely on for the next 20, 40, 60 years. That is NDC sinister scheme.

A striking resemblance is what is happening with the last year’s strange death of President Mills. All of a sudden, NDC/Mahama are confusing the electorate, harping on it and portraying that their 8 years rule must span from 2012 to 2020. They want us to forget that Professor Mills 4 years disastrous rule is part of Mahama stinking legacy. I don’t trust NDC. They are behind all this