PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESS BY THE THREE MP’S IN THE TAMALE METROPOLIS ON THE DISTURBANCES IN TAMALE AND GUSHEIGU
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, thank you for honoring our invitation to this press conference at such short notice.
Ladies and Gentlemen, yesterday evening the Northern Regional Capital, Tamale and the Gushiegu constituency in the Northern Region, witnessed election related violence of serious proportions. This is a very worrying development. As the elected representatives of the people we are very concerned.
We have therefore invited you here to express our grave concern about the deplorable and deteriorating security situation in Tamale and Gusheigu and Northern Region in general and its implications for the conduct of smooth and peaceful elections in Tamale and its environs.
May we register our disappointment at the attempt by pro – NPP newspapers to link the violent incidents to the NDC and to portray same as an NDC orchestrated violence with very misleading and baseless headlines. In the Statesman Newspaper, the headline was “TAMALE MOVES WITH BAWUMIA as opponent fire in panic” In the Daily Guide it was, “NDC fires NPP with guns”. In the Heritage, it was BAWUMIA ESCAPES MURDER”. It is significant to states that at the time of the incident the NDC leadership and its teeming supporters were at two major rallies at Gurugu in the Tamale North Constituency and the Kaladan Park in the Tamale Central Constituency, whilst a few who were within the area of the incident were in the mosque praying.
We wish to set the records straight as follows: You will recall that yesterday at about 6.00pm a group of gun wielding NPP Youth in a pick up shot their way to an area around the Gulkpe Naa’s Palace destroy all visible signs of NDC Paraphernalia, seized three (3) motor bikes parked whiles their owners were praying, moved them unto the main Tamale Hospital Road and burnt them amidst the firing of guns. These hoodlums did not confine their acts to the Gulkpe Naa's Palace but extended the firing and destruction to around the Tamale Central Mosque, where they blocked the road to have total control of the area. They proceeded to the legion and victory cinema area, where they also destroyed an NDC pavilion and another Motor Bike and brutally assaulted one Zakaria. At a separate incident, the group of NPP activists attacked one Mohammed Awal with knives and cutlasses and as we speak to you now the said Mohammed Awal is at the Tamale Regional Hospital. Gusheigu is also burning. Our constituency Chairman’s house and vehicles have been burnt down by an irate NPP mob and one NDC person had been shot dead by these NPP terrorists. Clearly the NPP violence has been extended to Gusheigu and as we speak now we do not which constituency will fall victim to this orchestrated violence and intimidation of the NPP and its marauding Youth.
This morning we woke up to the news that the NDC Office around the Picorna Hotel has been burnt down by this marauding NPP Youth. These were after they had beaten up a Taxi Driver in an NDC cap, siphoned the fuel of the vehicle and used the petrol to burn down the NDC Office.
a. We believe that the NPP orchestrated this disturbance to create the conditions prevailing in Tamale and Gushiegu presently and to provide a justification for engaging in this wanton destruction of property and the threat to life and human and personal security in the area.
b. We wish to strongly state that neither the NDC leadership nor its supporters are responsible for the unacceptable violent scenes in Tamale and Gushiegu. We therefore consider the publications in the pro-NPP newspapers as outrageous lies.
c. We further wish to unreservedly condemn violence of any kind and form as it is not healthy for the smooth conduct of the 2008 – elections and for the peace and security of the area.
We wish to call on the leadership of the NDC in the Northern Region and our teaming supporters to remain calm in the face of these extreme and deliberate provocations.
We call on the security agencies to thoroughly investigate these incidents of unsolicited violence and bring the culprits to book, especially coming on the heels of the violence exhibited by the gun totting NPP youth during the recent registration exercise where some electoral registration materials were carried away.
We however are not surprised at this lawlessness as we are convinced that they are part of the grand design of the NPP to secure a seat in the Tamale Metropolis by violence and intimidation. A political impossibility.
Thank you for coming.
HON. ABUKARI SUMANI MP TAMALE NORTH
HON. INUSAH FUSEINI MP TAMALE CENTRAL
HON. HARUNA IDDRISU MP TAMALE SOUTH
