When the NDC came into government in January 2013, numerous of its members applied for the position of the District Chief Executive in the Sissala East District. In fact about 15 people applied for the position with 8 of them relying strongly by promises made to them by Madam Alijata Sulemani during the course of 2012 elections. Madam Alijata indeed promised these people the position of the DCE in return for their support and that of their communities. This actually yielded dividends as communities like Challu, Sakai, Mwanduanu, Tumu, And Wellembelle among others relied on these promises and voted massively for Alijata and the NDC. They were all yearning for their promised son to be hand-picked by Alijata to be the DCE.
As all these people cannot be the DCE, one must automatically be chosen and therefore it was not surprising that most of these people were disqualified leaving only four of them. This didn’t go down well with Alijata and her camp since only one of them was qualified with the rest coming from the former MP’s camp. It is a known fact in the district that the former MP and the incumbent do not meet and as such any choice from any camp is likely to create disaffection and perhaps chaos in the opposing camp. The camps lobbied intensely with the incumbent allegedly winning over the support of the presidency whiles the camp of the former MP allegedly won the support of the NDC hierarchy in the region and Accra. The battle line was drawn with both camps not ready for any compromise to their choice. With the presidency always having the final say, it ignored the party’s sincere advice and went in for a candidate who it was obvious was going to be given a first round technical knock-out.
And so it happened that in November 2013, the Alijata’s choice of a DCE in Moses Bavia was rejected by the Hon. Assembly Members who acted based on their conscience and district welfare despite the allegations of massive inducements. The presidency could have simply ended everything by simply listening to the advice of the party and the Assembly members but the Yen tie obiaa government and president rejected this and decided to stick with Alijata with the outrageous belief that if a different person is nominated, the NDC will lose the seat in 2016. Alijata and her camp knowing fully well they have the support of the presidency have decided to insult everyone in the district by telling us that if their choice, be it Moses Bavia or any other person from their camp is not nominated, then the Sissala East will remain without a DCE. In fact one of her staunch loyalist, the Assembly Member of the Nyamijan Electoral Area said on RADFORD, a community based radio station, on Monday the 12th of May, 2014, that the president is punishing us for refusing his choice. Thus our suffering is a pleasure to Alijata and her camp and perhaps the presidency who have bought to their miscalculated political analysis.
The Sissala East District is a very peaceful and quiet district. Though it has a history of rejecting DCE’s, it has never passed through this hell it is made to suffer by president Mahama and his pawn in the district, Alijata. The unfortunate situation compelled the Young Democrats, a NDC pressure group with the support of the Young Patriots in the Sissalaland, a NPP pressure group to organize the first ever demonstration in the district. The demonstration, though turn-out was not as expected by the organizers, goes to paint the growing anger of people in the district to the sheer hatred and malice of Mahama and Alijata to the Chiefs and people of the Sissala East District. This is surprising because we took Mahama as our brother and for the first time in the history of this country, the NDC convincingly won the presidential elections in the Sissala East district. Had it not been for YenTie obiiee governance, Mahama would have understood that the community wants a NDC person to be the DCE or a neutral but not a person from Alijata’s camp. At least we’ve had enough of her disrespect and disregard of our values as Sissala people with a strong Islamic heritage and we cannot continue to accept this abandonment of our community. The Sissala people deserves better.
With the current developments, though the nation as a whole is retrogressing and the Sissala East District has been fastly moving backwards, one can confidently say that the current situation is synonymous with the Prof. Mills unprecedented backward achievements due to our lack of a competent DCE. We are in a situation where the bridges between Kowie and Kong are totally destroyed and the contractor abandoned his job, the Challu-Kulfuo-Tarso bridges have turned into artificial dams and graves among others. Bichemboi who were allegedly denied electricity because of Alijata is still living in darkness though communities’ farther than her are enjoying this priviledge. Students from the district in tertiary institutions who needed urgent help to support their education are denied this and they have no one to cry and complain to…….
With Mahama not ready to listen to anyone, and Alijata enjoying the mess she has kept us in, I think the call of the Young Democrats with the support of the Young Patriots in the Sissalaland to block the road from Bolga to Wa and also to block the international border to Burkina Faso in one week if the DCE is not nominated is a call in the right direction and must be supported by right-thinking people in the district and the nation at large. For me, my brave brothers and sisters, I’m fully behind you and I shall In Sha Allah be back soon…………
Fuseini Abdul-Fatawu
0208377488
