General News of Friday, 22 August 2003
Source: FREE PRESS
The Co-ordinator of the Dagbon Consultative Congress, Sheikh Suleman Mahama Sibidow says the Minority’s boycott of the voting to extend the state of emergency in Dagbon and their subsequent explanation is an exhibition of crass opportunism and hypocrisy.
He noted that the problem in Dagbon started from 1979 when the former President and Leader of the AFRC regime, Jerry Rawlings ordered Mr Adumoah Bossman, a legal officer of the AFRC to draft a decree to withdraw the Council’s recognition of the Ya Na.
However, Major Boakye Gyan took advantage of Rawlings’ absence to Cuba to prepare a decree, which rather recognized the defacto position of the Ya Na. He wondered why the NDC could not do anything to unite Dagbon but are now behaving as if they were friends to Dagbon.
Sheikh Sibidow asked all who are not original members of both Andani and Abudu to desist from compounding the problem with untenable demands which they know cannot be met because the real truth surrounding the 26th-27th March crisis in Yendi has been sacrificed on the altar of political opportunism.
He said it is as a result of the government’s inefficiency and incompetence and the people who call themselves Andanis that the Dagbon crisis have been politicized.
According to Sheikh Sibidow, the original Andanis and the immediate family of the Ya Na are not party to the current intransigent uncompromising stand based on misinformation and blind prejudice against innocent but perceived perpetrators.