Top NDC man invited by CID

Wonders they say shall never cease. In spite of the appeal by the government for all to avoid politicising the tragedy what has befallen our brothers and sisters in Yendi, it appears that subtle attempts are being made by the powers that be to link the former President to this unfortunate but avoidable crisis.

Information reaching The Ghanaian Voice indicates that a top official (name withheld for security reasons) of the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) last Friday (05 – 04 – 2002) had a call from the CID Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service. The message was that he was to call at the CID Headquarters the following Monday.

On the appointed day this top NDC man in the company of his lawyer Dr Kumbour who incidentally is the MP for Lawra Nandom and another friend went to the CID Headquarters. After sometime on arrival at the CID Headquarters, an officer asked the two men who accompanied the top NDC man to leave for him to have a chat with their friend.

It was then that he was told that information had reached them that when the top official and the former President went to campaign in connection with the Bimbilla by-election they trained people at where they were accommodated to go and cause commotion in the area.

Of course this top NDC man described the allegations as not only false but childish since where they lodged was a public place where no such activity could have been undertaken. He wondered why the people were behaving in such a childish manner.

Of course the reaction of the CID officer was that it was their duty to investigate any allegations that are made against individuals. The Ghanaian Voice is rather puzzled about this position since there is nothing to show that any of the names which have been mentioned by the Dagbon Traditional Council and others have been invited, for questioning especially the likes of the National Security Adviser Mr Joshua Hamidu, Hon Malik Yakubu Alhassan, former Minister of Interior, and Major (rtd) Abubakari Sulemana.

It is being alleged that it was because of the advice, which the former President gave to the late Ya-Na that he allegedly refused Police protection. What most people do not know is that the late Ya-Na was not enskinned during the PNDC/NDC era.

The truth is that the assassinated Ya-Na Yakubu Andani was the young 33-year old regent of Dagbon in 1969 when the government of the Progress Party under Dr K. A. Busia sent in troops under the command of the then Captain F.W.K. Akuffo to dislodge him from the Yendi palace since he was thought to be a supporter of the then CPP, Indeed, sixty-nine (69) of his followers were murdered in cold blood in the ensuing confrontation.

The young Regent himself was seriously wounded. He was eventually driven out of the place and Ya-Na Mahamadu Abdullai was installed as the new Ya-Na. Following the NRC overthrow of the Progress Party government in 1972, the Ollennu commission upheld the legitimacy of the rotational system of the Ya-Na – an action which was confirmed by a supreme court decision in 1987. It is clear therefore that the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani could not have been a special friend of the former President or a progides of the PNDC/NDC.