Apparently alarmed by what they see as a threat —to station armed civilians at polling stations in the north —- to our democracy and to security in the northern region authorities, that is, the Ghana police service in Tamale, have taken the first logical and necessary step by inviting the source of that threat, the northern regional chairman of the NPP for a lengthy talk, I would presume.
It is indeed heartening to know that the chairman has accepted the invitation. He should harbor no fears about sitting down with the security agencies. His human rights will no doubt be respected.
That said, he should, nonetheless be extensively grilled and thoroughly probed to determine if he still intends to carry out his threat to station 40 armed civilians at polling stations in the north come election time.
One wonders what prompted the chairman to engage in such reckless political talk. Was it to intimidate his political opponents or to impress party leaders who had descended on the north from Accra? Many folks in Tamale and the country are hoping that the chairman was once again, being his boisterous self; loud, noisy and emotive.
He was essentially engaging in the empty braggadocio we have witnessed across the political landscape much of the election campaign this season; talk big, make threats, and hope your enemies quiver in their boots and tremble with fear.
Despite the chest beating and gnashing of teeth, what the chairman spouted last week should not be taken lightly at all; it should be viewed with all the seriousness it rightfully deserves by authorities and residents of the northern region.
Perhaps, party leaders like Mr Naabu don’t want to accept the harsh reality that some of their supporters are impressionable and thus easily swayed. You put a weapon in their hands and tell them to go on a rampage, and they will do it at the drop of a hat. We have seen explosions of violence in Kenya, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone all because supporters were manipulated by political leaders and goaded to commit acts of despicable violence. Herein lies the danger of making incendiary statements.
That prominent leaders of the NPP have failed so far to condemn the chairman’s remarks is very disheartening. A demonstration of leadership is needed here given the gravity of Mr Naabu’s outrageous utterances.
How long is the party leadership going to look on as others hijack the party’s agenda and derail it from its stated goal of winning the elections in December after eight long years in political purgatory? Some higher-up in the NPP must rein in this chairman. He has been singularly responsible for a great deal of irresponsible talk.
What kind of message are the NPP leaders sending the country with their deafening silence on this issue, that they cannot bring their wayward regional chairmen to order? This does not augur well for the party.
Detestable as the chairman’s threats are, they cannot be implemented if NPP supporters in the north adamantly stand their grounds and refuse to take marching orders from him. The north can ill afford to engage in any form of violence; northerners have bled enough and died needless deaths in the past from senseless mayhem.
With the rapid expansion of our beautiful city, Tamale, the fastest growing metropolis in the West African region, and the attendant economic opportunities that are opening up, we would be suckers, the biggest fools on earth if we as much as allow ourselves to be used by politicians to create havoc in our own backyard.