Gonja King Rejects Prez Mahama?

-Mahama Haruna is simply silly

By Abudulai Jakpa

Mahama Haruna's recent insults, ranting and raving against Dr Braimah Clifford the NPP Secretary for Northern Region simply because he called for a check on the habit of self-seeking members of the Gonjaland Youth Association who were trying to drag the name of the association in the mud, deepening internal wrangling within the association must not pass without any comment. By attacking Dr Braimah Clifford, I must say Mahama Haruna is biting more than he can chew. He is simply silly.

Mahama Haruna who was a role model for many Gonjas in NPP because of his radicalism and fighting spirit has all of a sudden eroded all the support and confidence many of us have in him. In fact he is gaining notoriety for being controversial and must be condemned for that. His writings are simply favourable to President John Mahama. We know he is bitter but his attempt to exact his pound of flesh on Dr Braimah Clifford. Haruna onced accused Dr Clifford of not standing by him when certain allegations were levelled against he Haruna.

Haruna is fast gaining notoriety for being arrogant and aggressive these days after a long period of silence. He is simply taking advantage of the current situation in which a Gonja is vying for President to settle scores with some people. He is reported to have recently threatened to beat up Samuel Abu Jinapor at a Gonja meeting in Accra after Abu challenged him for lying. Haruna is being hailed in some Gonja spheres for fighting for the course of Gonjas and is fast becoming a 'hound dog' for President Mahama in Gonja circles. Has he ever considered what will be his fate should the NPP win?

It is true Mahama Haruna is known to have worked tirelessly for the NPP. It is also true his contribution to the NPP was not appreciated. I know he was a constituency Secretary of NPP for Bole-Bamboi and also read somewhere he was the youngest delegate to have attended the NPP congress that elected Proffessor Adu Boahen in 1992. When Haruna was NUGS Secretary, I still remember how he fought the likes of Samuel Okudzeto now Deputy Information Minister, Victoria Hamah now NDC parliamentary candidate for the yet to be created Ablekuma West seat and others when they tried using NUGS to fight the NPP government. I liked Haruna so much because he strongly supported our Presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo to the extent that he exchanged blows with a co-panelist at Asempa FM during an argument over Nana Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyeramanteng.

Haruna's family I am told is well steeped in the history of the Dankwah-BusiaTradition. I hear his father who was wealthy by Northern Region standards was the founder of NPP in the whole of Gonjaland and sacrificed so much resources setting up NPP offices in the Gonja areas. I agree his father was not treated well when the party came to power but I think Haruna should have exercise restraint and pray for the party to win again so that he could have made a case out of that.

I sincerely believe Mahama Haruna is destroying the rich track record his family has in NPP. He should simply joined the NDC instead claiming to be an NPP but attacking members of NPP.

He

has explained somewhere that many NPP members impugn reasons into an apology he rendered to the President and that was why he left the NPP Headquarters where he was working. Since then a lot has changed. Who is to be blamed for this? Braimah Clifford?

We are aware of the family and ethnic pressures Haruna went through after the incident, and sympathised with him knowing very well issues of ethnicity are very delicate and complex.

If some of the rumour we are hearing are true then Haruna is rather the stomach politician and not Dr Braimah Clifford whom he accused of dividing Gonjas because he was given scholarship and because he has been promised the position of Northern Regional Minister should the NPP win.

It is rumoured Mahama Haruna met President Mahama after his apology to him. It is also rumoured he was offered scholarship to go abroad for further studies but he declined the offer saying he is still NPP and so would be accused of rendering the apology because of favours. It is rumoured Haruna however demanded three things; a job, a house to be built for him at Bole and another house to be built for him in Accra.

Today Haruna is working at the Kotoka International Airport, he is putting up houses in Bole and Afienya near Tema. So between him and Dr Clifford who can we say was bought?