It was all campaign talk

A Deputy Minister of Information, Baba Jamal, says the assurance by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party to have the killers of the late chief of Dagbon, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, arrested when voted into power was a mere political or campaign platform talk.

According to him, messages delivered on campaign platforms carries different density of vigor than in an ordinary conversation.

“The fact that we promised to do everything to ensure the killers of the late Ya-Na are found does not mean we will rush or use untoward methods to arrest people…there was so much vim in the way the NDC promised to find the killers of Ya-Na because it was on a political platform…cases like murder take longer time to solve,” he said.

The Andani group on Wednesday accused the NDC government of capitalizing on the death of Ya Na to win power with the promise of unraveling those behind the gruesome act.

At a press conference in Tamale, the Chairman of the group, Chief Zaachi Salman Sibri, said it was now clear that the Mills administration never intended to seek justice for the people of the north but used the case of the Ya-Na as a conduit to solicit votes from Andanis and well-meaning people of Dagbon to win power.

He expressed disappointment in government’s handling of the whole issue, having won the trust of Andanis who accuse the erstwhile NPP government of having masterminded the death of Ya-Na Yakubu Andani.

The Andanis further served notice to NDC officials to find the killers of the late overlord of Dagbon, or risk losing their votes in the upcoming elections.

Reacting to the threats by the Andanis, Baba Jamal told Peace FM’s Kokrokoo sit-in host, Tweneboa Kodua (T.K), that since the constitution of Ghana is supreme, the NDC being the ruling government, will not do anything to subvert its tenets.

He however gave the assurance that the Mills’ administration will not renege on its promise to find the killers of the late Ya-Na but will work around the clock to ensure that justice is served. He also appealed to the Andani youth to exercise patience as government tries its best to bring to book the murders of the late overlord of Dagbon.

“We have not disappointed anybody, we promised to do everything to bring them justice but we didn’t say that we will just arrest people. We will conduct proper investigation and use lawful means…we plead with them to exercise patience…When speaking on a political platform, there is vim, I can promise to do something but when I am speaking on a political platform, I might say it in a forceful manner, besides President Mills never said when he comes he will arrest anybody, he only said we will do everything to bring them (Andanis) justice,” Baba Jamal said.