‘NDC Won’t Be Distracted By Tribal, Ethnic Politics’

Daniel Bugri-Naabu

The Northern Regional Executive Committee (NREC) of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said the party, and for that matter the government, is committed to the total development of the Northern Region.

The NREC said the government would not be distracted by the tribal and ethnic politics being waged against it by the Northern Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Daniel Bugri Naabu.

The regional executive stated this at a news conference held in Tamale last Wednesday to react to recent comments made by the Northern Regional NPP Chairman that the President John Dramani Mahama-led administration had sidelined the appointment of Konkombas into his government.

Bugri-Naabu’s comments
Mr Bugri-Naabu in a press release issued in Tamale recently and, titled “Appointment of Konkombas at the last minute to NDC government’ on the recent ministerial reshuffle by President Mahama, said the appointment of Mr Abdallah Abubakari Abuba and Kenneth Wunjagi as Northern Regional Minister and Deputy Chief of Staff respectively would not change the political fortunes of the NDC in the Mamprugu and Konkomba areas which had been marginalised for far too long.”

The release said: “this ill-advised appointment of a Konkomba at the last minute to the NDC government is a propagandist strategy which all Konkombas are aware of and will never make a mistake by voting for the NDC in the upcoming elections,” it said.

“It is also worthy to note that the NDC which has been at the helm of affairs in this country for over seven years, did not find it expedient to appoint a Konkomba until now. Is it that they could not see any competent Konkomba who could be appointed in their earlier days in government? I will not be far from right to say that they acted hurriedly to counter my criticism.

"I, therefore, want to use this opportunity to appeal to all Ghanaians to beware of the propagandist attitude of the NDC and vote massively for the NPP in the 2016 general election since the NDC is Machiavellian, capricious, corrupt and incompetent in managing the affairs of the country,” the release stated.

NDC’s reaction
The NDC executive described the comments by Mr Bugri- Naabu as unfortunate and a calculated attempt by the NPP regional chairman to incite Konkombas against the government of President John Mahama and urged him to desist from such comments which was not helpful for the peace, stability and development of the region.

The Northern Regional Secretary of the NDC, Mr Halid Abdul-Rauf, who addressed the media on behalf of the regional executive committee, appealed to the NPP regional chairman to desist from whipping up tribal and ethnic sentiments in an already volatile area such as the Northern Region.

Tribal and ethnic balance
According to Mr Abdul-Rauf , the Mahama-led administration had ensured tribal and ethnic balance in his appointments and wondered the kind of discrimination against a particular ethnic group that Mr Bugri Naabu was talking about.

He cited the recent appointment of Mr Kenneth Njorinji, a Konkomba, as the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations by the President, to buttress his point, and added that several Konkombas had been appointed to other positions, including the former Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Mabingban, who is now the Ambassador to Congo, among others as a commitment by the Mahama administration to ensure tribal and ethnic balance in his appointments into the government.

Mr Abdul-Rauf added that the NDC government was rather committed to the total development of the region and would not engage in tribal and ethnic politics as being waged by the NPP regional chairman considering the volatile nature of the region, and added that Mr Bugri Naabu should not look at government’s appointments in terms of ethnic background but rather in the area of delivering and bringing development to the people.