Chiefs must help keep all sides of the political divide in line - Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, (NDC), has called on the country’s traditional leaders to help ensure peaceful conduct of the 2020 general elections.

He said the political season was known to inflame passions and urged the traditional authorities to remain active in order to keep all sides of the political divide in line.

The former President made the call when he paid a courtesy call on the chiefs of the Asogli State during a tour of the voter registration centres in the Volta Region.

He commended the National House of Chiefs for standing its ground in ensuring the right thing was done.

“There are various occasions when it has required that the moral conscience of the nation should speak when things are going wrong and I think that since Togbe has headed that institution, at times when it had been required, they have not shed their responsibility. They have stood up like the owners of the land and drawn the attention of the leaders as to what is going wrong and I believe that this is what these institutions stand for.

“I am sure that between now and when we go into the elections, there are many times you will have to intervene and call all of us to order and I am not talking only of the ruling government but even the opposition.

“There are times where we might go too far in the heat of the moment, and I think that we will not be unpleased if you call us back on track. We would appreciate that very much”, the former President said.

He reminded the people of the sensitivity of ethnicity and citizenship and called for calm, and unity in the ongoing electoral process, and a holistic adherence to the coronavirus preventive protocols.

Togbe Afede X1V, Agbogbomefia of Asogli State and President of the National House of Chiefs, called for tolerance among political leaders and for a clean electoral contest, saying “opponents in politics are not enemies”.

He said, “political leaders must remember that development is what the people need the most."