Rawlings clears mainstream Abudus

Rawlings has opined that the killing of the overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, and 28 others in March this year was the work of a few wicked ones and not the desire of the mainstream Abudu family.

“It was quite a few dubious people who committed the dastardly act. I don’t believe the killing of the chief was the desire of the mainstream Abudu family,” Rawlings said when he called on chiefs in Tamale last Saturday.

In explaining that the Abudus and Andanis had co-existed peacefully until a few bad ones fomented the mayhem, Rawlings added, “We have both Abudu family and Andani in the NDC. We have worked with them throughout our time. And I am very sad by this event.

In the NDC both families found room for peaceful coexistence. But the bottom line is that we want justice done.” Rawlings visit to Tamale was a stopover on his way to Walewale for the funeral of the late Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia, former chairman of the Council of State.

Information had gone round that Rawlings would visit the chief of Tamale, Gulkpe-Na, at 2:00 p.m. and then to the late Ya Na’s widows before passing on to Bolgatanga to pass the night there. By l0:00 a.m. there was palpable excitement among NDC faithfuls. NDC colours, which had been missing from the streets of Tamale since Rawlings’ last visit to the town about eight months ago, suddenly became ubiquitous when the party’s supporters deluged major streets in the town to welcome him.

The supporters converged at the Gulkpe-Na’s palace in their numbers around noon and waited in the scorching sun, amid fanfare, for Rawlings. Some of them drummed, sang and danced in the back of pick-up vehicles that drove menacingly while others, in dangerous displays, showed their dexterity with motorbikes and bicycles along the streets.

The excitement that started building up among the NDC supporters around l0:00 a.m.culminated in a frenzy as Rawlings drove to the Gulkpe-Naa’s palace. Other curious people abandoned their chores and trooped onto the street to catch a glimpse of him.

When he arrived at the palace, the crowd that had besieged there was so heavy that his aides and personal security agents had to shove, jab, jostle and block to pave way for him. At the forecourt of the palace, there was near pandemonium when the crowd again, became uncontrollable as it surged back and forth like a dizzy chain gang.

The chief’s footmen resorted to whipping the crowd. But Rawlings, clad in a multicoloured tropical shirt and black jeans, protested and offered a helping hand by entreating the crowd to be orderly. Eventually he in the accompany of E. T. Mensah, Ibrahim Adam and other dignitaries, proceeded to address the three regents that stood in for the Gulkpe-Naa, who had travelled.

Rawlings for once seemed to have avoided the rough and tumble of the world of politics and settled for what many saw as a statesmanlike speech, which dwelt on the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis. He said while he regretted the death of the late Ya-Na, Yakubu Andani II, and sympathised with Dagbon, this was not the time for them to talk about a successor. He said: “I don’t want to see this problem being made worse by the promotion, at the wrong time, of a successor.

This can lead to a further division and it will re-inflict the division that your enemies want to see happen in this area. Find a way of settling this problem without any further bloodshed or any further antagonism. But at the bottom line we want to see justice done.”

Rawlings said if they resorted to violence Dagombas would only be serving the interest of those who want to see them divided. He, therefore, advised Dagombas not to compound the situation by trying to cause mayhem. They should rather turn the expected tension into peaceful coexistence so that the state of emergency that has been slapped onto the area could be lifted for people to go about their social and economic activities.

“The pain is getting too much,” he added. The senior regent of the Gulkpe-Na, Abu Subvan Issah, sat in court with the regent of Savelugu, Abmed Mohammed, and that of Lamashegu, Abubakari Alhassan. In his response, regent Issah appreciated Rawlings’ visit and said it showed how much he cared for Dagbon.

Issah said: “Even though you are no more the president you have found time to come and console us. The father of the nation should have come to console us but he has not.” He added: “We all know what happened. We are patient but we are not asleep. We don’t sleep because of the dastardly act against the overlord of Dagbon. Government should arrest the perpetrators.

They are four.” He continued: “We have nowhere to go but Dagbon. We have nowhere to go but Ghana . So we will not allow Ghana to be on fire. So we have to be tolerant, patient and exercise restraint. But we want to say that if you throw a ball to the wall it bounces back to you. Yet you may not recognise whether it is the same ball, because it may come in another manifestation.”

Issah said the Andanis stand for peace that was why during the reign of Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II there was no problem. Then came another hectic moment as Rawlings left the palace to Ibrahim Adam’s house, about a mile away on the busiest street in Tamale, the Bolga road, a dual carriage.

The crowd went haywire, wild with elation and occupied one lane, forcing vehicles to and from, into the other lane. As the procession moved along at a snail’s pace. Rawlings stood in the hatch of the roof of his car and acknowledged cheers from the enthused crowd and curious bystanders.

As if that was not enough, at one stage he got out and sat on the roof with his feet on the bonnet and waved, saluted and blew kisses at the admiring spectators.