Editorial: Dagbon Crises and NPP in the North

The Chronicle applauds the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris for his boldness incoming out wit the truth regarding the failure of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to win the appropriate Parliamentary seats in the Northern Region.

Infact, as Ghanaians, we should be bold enough to voice certain things out. Just hear him: The electoral fortunes of the NPP are tied to the amicable resolution of the Dagbon crisis".

He is therefore pleading with the National Executive of the NPP to assist to find a lasting solution to the Dagbon crisis.

Here is the Chairman of the Regional Security Council pleading for the settlement of the Dagbon issue and with all available information at his disposal, giving the ruling party a warning that without the settlement of the Dagon issue, the NPP should forget about getting the necessary votes in the North.

The Dagbon issue is a big blot on the ruling government and we think government will seriously consider what Regional Minister Idris is saying. For if the government throws away this useful advice from the President's representative in the Northern Region, no one should blame the Regional Minister or the hierarchy of the NPP in that Region.

It is said that truth hurts but Minister Idris has thrown the challenge to the government and it is up to the government to accept this very important challenge or not.

The Chronicle has noticed that the Dagbon issue could not be toyed with. For it is just unfortunate that the Overlord of Dagbon and 40 of his Elders were slaughtered just a few metres away from a security outpost.

Utterances made by certain high government officials after the carnage, give room for people to speculate that it had a hand in the murders of these citizens of the Republic of Ghana.

And though the Committee of Eminent Chiefs, chaired by the noble Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei TutuII, is doing its best to see to a peaceful atmosphere in that part of our country, every vote in an election year counts and so the government should be seen to be up and doing something on this Dagbon issue.

As the saying goes, to be forewarned is to be forearmed and Minister Idris has said it all. The ball is now in the court of the NPP as to whether they could effectively compete with the other parties come 2008 elections or not but the Chronicle hopes that sanity will prevail for the amicable settlement of this most important Dagbon crisis t o enable peace to reign in that part of our country and not necessarily the votes the parties are after.