President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday cautioned all factions in the Dagbon Chieftaincy Crisis to down play their partisan interests to ensure national peace.
"Let me caution all sides to the issue and also the various political parties not to put their partisan ambitions before the welfare of Dagbon and the peace of the nation," he emphasised, attracting protracted cheers from a packed auditorium at the Accra Conference Centre.
President Kufuor was addressing the third People's Assembly. He initiated the Assembly when he assumed office three years ago to create an annual platform for the Executive to interact with a cross-section of the people to elicit their views on Government policies and programmes. The forum, which is being organised to mark 11 years of the Fourth Republic, would be replicated in all the regions on the theme: Good Governance Through Democracy."
President Kufuor said the conflict had proved to be quite complex and that the Government had for the last two years spared no effort to bring about a just and humane resolution of the problem.
He said security improvement in the area led to the lifting of the state of emergency and curfew in four of the districts affected by the conflict leaving the Tamale Municipality and Yendi District. Indeed, District Assembly Elections have been held in the four districts of Gushegu-Karaga, Zabzugu-Tatale, Tolon-Kumbungu and Savelugu-Nanton.
President Kufuor said: "I should thank the Committee of Prominent Chiefs, which has been mediating and the security agencies which have worked throughout the two years to contain the situation. "It is our hope and prayer that under the auspices of the Committee, and the security agencies, further strides will be made, to enable the state of emergency and curfew to be lifted in the remaining areas soon."
