Regional News of Friday, 20 January 2012

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Press Statement On The Recent Burning Of Houses In The Bawku Municipality

The year 2012 another election year is with us ones again. Come December 7, 2012 the good people of Bawku would go to the polls to elect their Presidential and Parliamentary candidate. It is the fervent hope and prayer of the good and peace loving people of Bawku in general and the Bawku Central NPP Executives in Particular, that the 2012 electioneering campaign be devoid of insults, rancour most of all should be peaceful.
We the NPP Executives of the Bawku Central Constituency, wish to advise the Hon. Mahama Ayariga with high sense of sincerity, to tone down on his political campaign. He is aware more than any other person how volatile Bawku is, more so in this election season.
Why can’t Hon. Ayariga learn from his brother Hon Adamu Daramani Sakande who is the de jure member of parliament for Bawku Central Constituency? It is important for Hon. Ayariga to know that, the Bawku seat is not a live and death affair. It is the electorates who are becoming more politically discerning and are tired of politics of lies and deceits, who decide who becomes the next MP for the Bawku Central Constituency. It is on record that the Hon Mahama Ayariga in his first interview with JOY FM after he won the primaries to contest the Bawku Central Seat under the ticket of the NDC as having said that he would win the Bawku Central Seat at all course.
Reference to Daily Graphic Report on the 09th January 2012 caption “Ayariga’s Supporters Houses burnt down”.In the said report Hon. Ayariga is purported to have said that NDC Supporters houses have been burnt down within the Bawku Township, According to the report this act of arson started in November 2011 and the early part of January.
This is political hypocrisy of the highest order. Why has Honourable whose government is in power and has access to the media 24/7 failed to bring this to the public domain and he chooses to do it now. In any case it is also on record that one of the victims by name Alhaji Issah a.k.a Issah Assembly man who is also the NDC Regional Treasurer in his interview with JOY said the burning of houses was an internal party affair.
It is because Hon. Ayariga wants to play to the gallery and divert people’s attention from the substantive issue that is why he chooses to always blame NPP for their internal chaos. Hon.Ayariga never put any blame on the supporters of his NDC Opponent Issaku Bukari even before,during and after their NDC Congress.
We just want to let the NDC be aware of the fact that we know of their strategies to intimidate our mass supporters and scare them to run away and leave the Constituency so that they would not be able to take part in the up-coming registration exercise and presidential and parliamentary election. We are again assuring our political opponents that come December 7 Hon Adamu would be retained by the good people of Bawku and also massively vote for Nana Akufo Addo to the Jubilee House in 2013. The NDC is very much aware that we are solid on the ground and more united than before with a common purpose to deliver the seat in 2012.
We the Bawku Central NPP executives are worried over the trends of events that started with the last forthnight of 2011 and carried over to 2012.The burning of kiosks, containers and houses is of grave concern to us as people who want to witness a free, fair, transparent and peaceful election.
The Hon. Parliamentary candidate for the NDC for Bawku central has resorted to Politricks.The fact of the matter is that, the electorates are becoming more discerning than before and are tired of empty promises.
In the recent press conference held by Hon.Ayariga,he is quoted as saying that at about sixteen houses belonging to the NDC had been burnt down. The truth of the matter is that no single house has been burnt down, there were four instances where pockets of windows of some houses were burnt not houses.Is Ayariga aware that a strong supporter of the NPP BY name RAMANI FATAWU’S container has been burnt down as well? This is a total fabrication, fallacious and cheap political propaganda use by the Hon.Ayariga to score cheap political gains in the 2012 election.
It was too early for Hon,Ayariga to go on air and say that all the 16houses that were burnt down were NDC supporters without checking his facts.Besides,it was unfair to include houses that were burnt during the conflict years of 2007,2008 and 2009.Do you know the number of people who were neither Mamprusi’s nor kusasi’s yet their houses were set ablaze. The NPP executive has condemned this act of arson and will do everything possible help the police do a proper investigation so that the perpetrators will be brought to book.
It is the responsibility of the local security arrangement to investigate the causes of such pockets of burnings. Again, the question we ask is that since when has he become a Police officer? and to use his parochial judgement to say that it was his political opponent that perpetrated this act of arson.
It is our highest expectation that the security would conduct itself in a very professional way that would not give room for any political party to feel that they have been unfairly treated. It is against this backdrop that we as a political party would engage all the security apparatus in an on-going discussion before, during and after the election on how to ensure a peaceful election and beyond.
We are therefore appealing to all sons and daughters of Bawku to remain calm in the face of this trying moment. PEACE.

Signed by: AMADU HAMZA

Bawku Central NPP
Constituency Secretary
0244980221