Recent Attacks On The Personality Of Hon Mahama Ayariga

STATEMENT BY THE MEDIA ANALYSIS GROUP (MAG) ON RECENT ATTACKS ON THE PERSONALITY OF HON MAHAMA AYARIGA, PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON ON ACCOUNT OF HIS VISIT TO BAWKU.

The Media Analysis Group (MAG) has observed the unprofessional and diabolical politically orchestrated efforts by certain sections of the print and electronic media to cause irreparable damage to the generally admired political image and reputation of Hon Mahama Ayariga, the Spokesperson of President John Evans Atta Mills and immediate past Member of Parliament for the Bawku Central constituency. These same media houses are notorious for their hostility towards the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its leadership and it is therefore understandable why they want to do such damage to a fine gentleman like Hon Mahama Ayariga.

We find the recent attacks on the personality of Hon Mahama Ayariga in some of the print media and amplified by panelists of known political dispositions on certain radio stations as most unfortunate and unfair to a promising political young star who, inspite of his enviable professional and academic competencies, has dedicated his youthful life to the service of the Ghanaian public. He began his career as a human rights activist with the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) providing free legal aid to indigents and doing human rights advocacy for underprivileged communities like Nima, Maamobi, and New Town in Accra. In spite of the fact that he had the privilege to attend one of the world’s most prestigious law schools - Harvard Law School – he dedicated most of his early life to serving the people of Nima and Mamobi – well known under privileged communities in Accra.

These attacks on the personality of Hon Mahama Ayariga have arisen from a simple fact that he visited Bawku. First and foremost, Hon Mahama Ayariga, the Presidential Spokesperson was born in Bawku and hails from there and hence has every right, like any of us, to make frequent visits to his hometown to spend time with family and friends. No amount of ink poured on newspapers and airtime on radios can take away that right from him. Even Palestinians and Israelis visit their countries when they have the opportunity.

Secondly, on the accusation that Mahama Ayariga engages in political activities when he visits Bawku one does not need to have a basic school certificate to know that as the immediate past parliamentary candidate of the NDC in Bawku in the 2008 elections Mahama Ayariga has a political interest in the area and cannot avoid engaging in political activities there. Indeed it is desirable for him to continue to work with his constituency party executives to re-organize his party.

Lastly, all the shameful efforts by the political detractors of Hon Mahama Ayariga to link him to violent armed clashes in Bawku is most disgraceful and unfortunate because as Hon Cletus Avoka, the Minister for the Interior said on radio recently, violent clashes in Bawku began even before Hon Mahama Ayariga was born. And in recent memory these violent armed clashes have occurred before Hon Mahama Ayariga became Member of Parliament for Bawku Central (i.e. in the December 2000 clashes during declaration of elections results which saw the Late Hon Hawa Yakubu become MP for Bawku Central). Similar clashes occurred when Mamprusis resisted efforts by Kusasis to celebrate their annual Samanpeed festival in January of 2008 when Hon Mahama Ayariga was MP for Bawku. Again, the violent clashes have occurred several times with even more devastating consequences since Hon Adamu Dramani took over as MP for Bawku from 7th January this year. This history therefore puts to shame and betrays the folly and political malice motivating a section of the vicious media houses and commentators who have sought to ascribe the causes of the recent unrests in Bawku to visits made by Hon Mahama Ayariga to his home town. In any case when the violent clashes took place Hon Mahama Ayariga was in Accra at post. It is indeed true that Hon Mahama Ayariga has been visiting Bawku as frequently as he can recently and participated in the distribution of relief items to victims of the ethnic clashes there 2 weeks ago. Ayariga discovered that relief items which President Mills had directed to be sent to Bawku following clashes there earlier this year had not yet been distributed and were still locked up in the stores whilst the victims of the clashes agonized over their loses. Mahama Ayariga insisted on the immediate distribution of the items and personally followed the team around the constituency as they distributed the items. The team included the Municipal Chief Executive with support from the military and under the watchful eyes of the BNI in Bawku. The distribution was non partisan and not ethnically biased. Indeed the Bawku Central New Patriotic Party constituency Vice Chairman received 2 pockets of roofing sheets. Other known NPP leading activists equally took some of the relief items

It is important to separate the recurrent often individual criminally instigated conduct which creates a situation resulting in violent ethnic clashes in Bawku from the civil action initiated by one Sumaila Bielbiel against the present MP for Bawku Central, Hon Adamu Dramani and the latter’s on-going criminal trial for electoral offences. The violence and criminality being perpetrated against innocent citizens in Bawku will not serve to abate either the civil action or the criminal trial taking place. If the thinking or motive is that such acts of breaches of the peace and criminality could in any way stall the ongoing civil action initiated by Sumaila or the criminal trial of Hon Adamu Dramani initiated by the Republic of Ghana then those with such mindsets must make a quick u-turn because the constitution of Ghana which is the fundamental law will be enforced fearlessly and without any regard to which personality might be involved. It is in this regard that we find as most unfortunate the pronouncements of lawyers for Adamu Dramani both in and outside court and in the media that Hon Mahama Ayariga is behind both the civil action and the ongoing prosecution. Did Hon Mahama Ayariga ever ask Hon Adamu Dramani to go and obtain a British passport or fail to renounce it when he decided to contest parliamentary elections?

…………………………………… HAMZA MOHAMMED Spokesperson Media Analysis Group