GUNSHOTS RING OUT AT BAWUMIANPP/NDC motor cycles set ablaze, Mills billboard destroyed

There was pandemonium at the Jubilee Park in Tamale, yesterday, when unknown gunmen allegedly opened fire and succeeded in scuttling away supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who had turned up in their numbers to listen to Nana Akufo-Addo's running mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. The shots reportedly came from the direction of the Tamale Regional Hospital.

The Northern Regional Secretary of NPP, Mr. Faisal Gbangili, who spoke to The Chronicle in an interview, at around 7:30pm yesterday, said in the middle of Dr. Bawumiah's address they heard gunshots. He continued that due to the chaotic nature of the situation, they had to rush the running mate to the Regional Administration as a precautionary measure.

When asked who could be behind the gunshots, he responded that “Obviously, it is the work of our political opponents, I mean some faceless political people who feel threatened by the good message being carried out by Dr. Bawumiah.” “We are always preaching political tolerance, what happened here is unacceptable, we are always calling for peace, his first message was peace, but look at what is happening,” he asked in a rage.

He wondered why the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress held similar rallies at the same venue without any incident, but the NPP's had to be disrupted by gunshots. He however, said, no casualty had as yet been reported. According to him, the Regional Hospital road was barricaded and supporters of the NPP, who were wearing party colours were subjected to all forms of assaults and beatings.

Mr. Mohammed Sulemana, the NDC Tamale South Propaganda Secretary, on his part told this reporter that it was NPP supporters who sparked the mayhem.

According to him, the NDC supporters had closed from two separate rallies held in Tamale North and Central constituencies, and were returning home when they met the NPP supporters who had been bussed to meet Dr. Bawumiah, also coming from Upper West.

He stated that gunshots were heard from the Benz buses which were conveying the NPP supporters, adding that the irate NPP supporters seized the motor bike of an NDC supporter, Mr. Abudulai Brook, who was praying at a nearby mosque and set it ablaze. He continued, the NPP followers then moved to a giant billboard of the NDC, bearing the portraits of the flag bearer and his running mate and set it on fire as well. Mr. Sulemana said these actions by the supporters triggered the NDC people to react by capturing a motor bike belonging to a supporter of the NPP and setting it ablaze while destroying three other NPP motorbikes.

He noted that the central mosque has been taken over by the NPP and that they were firing indiscriminately. Hon. Haruna Iddrissu told the Chronicle that he had just returned from Takoradi to Accra with the NDC running mate, Hon. John Mahama after a political campaign.

He maintained that he was deeply concerned about the security situation in Tamale, emphasizing that he was disappointed by the handling of the region's security by the appropriate Institutions.

He said he was amazed that the police looked on while the irate NPP supporters destroyed the NDC billboard, as the Regional Police Headquarters was close to where the incident occurred.

“The NPP remains unpopular in Tamale and is therefore provoking this situation in order to declare Tamale an insecure zone, to make it impossible for the people of Tamale to vote,” he alleged.

He requested the police to investigate the incident impartially and to bring to book whoever was found culpable, irrespective of their political affiliation.

Hon. Iddrissu concluded by calling for calm from both sides and appealed to the security agencies in the region and the party leaderships to come together to find a lasting solution to the recurring disturbances.