Correspondence from North East Region

Mamprugu Zaabuni Youth for Development, a youth group in the North East Region is calling on His excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo to refrain from taking sides in the Bawku chieftaincy issue and allow peace to prevail in the troubled area by accepting the decision of the Nayiri.

The youth group conveyed their message to the president in a press release after a purported statement that came out from the information ministry condemning the enskinment of Naa Alhaji Seidu Abagre as the 15th Bawku Naaba by the King of Mamprugu on the 15th of February 2023 in Nalerigu.

The youth group reiterates that it is only the Nayiri who has the power to enskin a legitimate chief for Bawku and not politicians who are rather fueling the conflict in the area.

It stated in a press release by the youth group on the 16th of February 2023 that the current government and future governments should stop politicizing the Bawku chieftaincy conflict and regard the Nayiri as the only King who has the authority to enskin a chief for Bawku.

"The question of chieftaincy rests with the appropriate lineage as stated clearly by the 1992 constitution. We, therefore question the ancestral lineage of Abugrago in ascending to the chiefdom of Bawku.

"We reiterate the firm position of our King that chieftaincy cannot and should not be determined by politicians whether past or present governments.

"Neither should it be determined by the long hands of governments through the Judiciary. The question of chieftaincy does not lie in the executive, the matter lies in the national house of chiefs," the youth said in a press release.

The youth is challenging those alleging that there was a supreme court ruling in 2003 that shows that Abugrago Azorka is the legitimate chief of Bawku.

"We are also challenging those alleging a Supreme Court ruling in 2003, to help Ghanaians by making the ruling available to help matters. We will like to also call on the National House of Chiefs to show interest in the matter by speaking to the authorities that matter, about how chieftaincy enskinments are done in general and who qualifies to sit on a throne as a chief," it added again.

The youth in their statement is therefore, urging the newly enskinned Bawku Naaba, Chief Alhaji Seidu Abagre to link up with the opposing factions to bring peace to Bawku and its environs.

"We call on the new Paramount Chief to take steps to unite all opposing factions in the Bawku chieftaincy conflict to ensure lasting peace. The Youth of Mamprugu is certain that with the enskinment of Chief Seidu Abagre, Bawku will soon witness prosperity, peace, unity, and progress."

The youth lament the statement from the information ministry condemning the Nayiri decision for enskinning the 15th Bawku Naaba and asked the government to stop taking sides in the matter and also accept the decision of the Nayiri.