The Abudu Royal family, one of the contending gates in the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis has threatened to go ahead and organise outstanding funerals of deceased chiefs under their line so as to facilitate the enskinment of their successors.
They have indicated that they no longer recognized the authority of the Kampakuya Naa as regent of Dagon and all sub-chiefs he enskinnned within the period he held the fort after the demise of his late father.
The regent, they stated, was a regent of his father, as was the Bolin Lana.
Their latest outburst, according to them, followed the continuous flouting of the roadmap to peace by the Kampakuya Naa Abudulai Andani Yakubu, who despite earlier threats is alleged to have gone ahead to organise funerals and enskin chiefs in sharp contravention of the agreement.
They have accordingly nullified all eskinment done by the Kampakuya and insist they would go ahead to enskin new persons to occupy a number of vacant skins in the Dagbon state.
At an emergency press conference in Yendi, addressed by one Sadeeq Abdallah, the Abudu gate claimed the Kampakuya Naa’s conduct had breached portions of the roadmap to peace contained in Otumfuor’s Mediation Committee Agreement.
They were particularly peeved that the funeral of the late Chief of Savelugu had been held and a new chief eskinned, accusing government of being involved in the violation of Clause ‘F’ of the Roadmap to Peace.
According to them, per the charter, the powers of the Kampakuya Naa were limited in the eskinment of sub chiefs or alienation of lands or other resources belonging to the Dagbon state.
Following this upheaval, they have prepared to commence funeral rites and enskin a new chief by beating the Atumpan to signify that the Bolin Lana Mahamadu Abdulai had assumed the full position of regent of Dagbon to organise his father’s funeral.
While commending the eminent chiefs for deliberating over the matter leading to the implementation of the first phase of the roadmap, the Abudus noted that the Andanis benefitted more than them.
The Abudus accused government of championing the illegitimate conduct of the Kampakuaya Naa by allowing him to enskin over 20 sub-chiefs despite series of agitations by the other divide.
They however appealed to the security agencies and powers that be to provide the needed security in order to enable them perform their traditionally mandated customs, adding that attempts to deny them this right would constitute bias against the Abudu family.
Mr. Sadeeq noted with regret that government, in connivance with the Andani family, was seeking to wipe out the Abudu family from the royal succession line, warning that they would not sit aloof and watch their rightful place be taken away from them.
He warned that should the government fail to call the Kampakuya Naa and his allies to order, the current breach of the roadmap to peace will see the rebirth of lawlessness and violence in Dagbon, a situation the Abudus tried averting by sticking to the roadmap.
