Okuapemhene urged politicians to avoid tribalism

Akropong (E/R), Oct 20, GNA - Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa III, Okuapemhene, has cautioned that Ghana had grown past the age of ethnic wars, therefore politics should not be based on ethnicity to fuel tension during this year's electioneering campaign. He therefore called on politicians to conduct their campaigns with decency and educate their followers to abide by the rules pertaining to the elections.

Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa was speaking at a grand durbar of chiefs and people of Akuapem Traditional area to climax this year's annual Odwira festival at Akropong at the weekend. He expressed gratitude to President John Agyekum Kufuor for recognizing the contribution of citizens of the traditional area to national development and conferring national awards on some of them. He also commended the government for implementing many development projects for the area which, he said, had contributed towards socio-economic development of the people. Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) told the gathering that the coming election was a matter of choice and not war to plunge the nation into a state of chaos. He said the eyes of the world would be on Ghana to see if the country would maintain the peace in order to progress with democracy and development.

Nana Akufo-Addo called on supporters of the NPP to conduct themselves in a manner that showed that the Party was a peaceful entity that was poised to move the nation towards its goals. The Eastern Regional Minster, Mr Kwadwo Affram-Asiedu, noted that although the area had seen significant progress, it would have far exceeded its threshold if there had been no chieftaincy disputes. He therefore urged the traditional council to use the Odwira festival to chart a new course for sustainable development for Akuapem.