JJ caused Northerners, Ewes to hate Akans – Ocquaye

Political Historian, Prof Mike Ocquaye, says any acrimony between Northerners and Ewes on the one hand, and Akans on the other hand, can be blamed on former President Jerry Rawlings.

According to the former Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Rawlings, and his party, the National Democratic Congress, have, since the fourth republic in 1992, pitted Northerners and Ewes against Akans for his own political reasons.

“Its become a tradition of the NDC. In fact the NDC does not want Ghana to unite,” Prof Ocquaye told the XYZ Breakfast Show on Friday April 11, 2014.

Buttressing his argument, the former flagbearer aspirant said: “Look, that is why [with] the Dagbon crisis; you remember all that Rawlings went about saying about it; dividing Northerners saying that he has a tape, and doing all manner of things to make Northerners hate Akans.”

“…They won the elections alright, because of this. Good. And they had the opportunity now to bring the tape. Did Rawlings ever bring the tape? Answer me. And you know it. He could never bring the tape. He could never bring the evidence. And yet they told the whole world everything had been documented so that the NPP would be hated by Northerners,” Prof Ocquaye insisted.

He said: “Today I want to seize the opportunity and tell Ghanaians [that] the thing is a problem, but who cause am? Rawlings and his people did cause it. They concocted it for political advantage so that Northerners and Ewes will hate Akans and then he will describe those people as his world bank.”

Prof Ocquaye, who was speaking about perceptions that the NPP was pro-Akan, said: “We’ll continue to work hard to diffuse this unnecessary tension that they have brought into this country because if they continues, it will not be in the interest of the Republic.”

Over the years, Akans have been perceived as pro-NPP while Ewes and Northerners are seen as pro-NDC.