The Abudu Royal family in Dagbon has given government and the Asantehene led committee mediating the Dagbon chieftaincy dispute a week ultimatum to honor its promise of performing final funeral rites of Ya-Na Mahamadu Abdulai IV.
The family says it is running out of patience after keeping quiet for some time now on the issues of renovating the Gbewaa palace and the performance of Naa Mahamadu’s funeral rites.
The Abudu family said they have compromised some customary and traditional beliefs and practices in order to give peace a chance through the roadmap document but was disappointed by the peace process so far. This, they said, was to ensure peace in Dagbon kingdom.
The Abudus gave the ultimatum at a news conference in Yendi. Spokesperson for the Abudus, Vahini-Naa Dr Nantogmah Mahama who addressed the media accused government and the Asantehene led eminent chiefs committee of failing to enforce or implement provisions of the roadmap document.
Dr.Mahama further accused the eminent chiefs committee of legitimizing the office of the Kug-Naa who was enskinned by the Regent of Dagbon, Kampakuya-Naa Andani Abdulai Yakubu contrary to the roadmap document.
The Abudus say the Asantehene committee has not implemented any single provision of the document that seeks to bring relief to the Abudu family.
According to the Abudus, the Andani family was allowed to bury the late Ya-Naa Yakubu Andani II in the Gbewaa palace and installed the Kampakuya-Naa, the current regent of Dagbon.
Bellow is the full text of Abudu family
Thank you for honuotring our invitation to attend and cover this press conference. We are most grateful for your time. We called this press conference to share our grievances with the good people of Ghana through you, the media. We have resorted to this avenue of speaking directly to the Ghanaian people as a result of numerous failed promises by government and the Asantehene led Committee of Eminent Chiefs (CEC) on the issues of renovation of the Gbewaa Palace and the performance of the final funeral rites of the late Ya-Na Mahamadu Abdulai IV. We have been patient and silent for far too long, but now wish to express our fruastration and disappointment in the peace process. As some of you may know too well, the Asantehene led committee was constituted by government to mediate between the Abudu and Andani royal families, following the unfortunate event of marc 2002.They were mandated to look into the traditional matters of Dagbon conflict. The committee promulgated a roadmap to peace document outlined various provisions and principles that were intended to guide the committee and the government in the precess of bring lasting peace to the Dagbon traditional area. It must be noted here that the Abudu family had to compromise on some customary and traditional beliefs and practices in order to give peace a chance through the roadmap document. This was done in the spirit of give and take, with the ultimate objective of bringing peace to the kingdom. Unfortunately,the committee has failed to enforce or implememt provisions of the roadmap document. It has rather sanctioned or ignored several violations of the roadmap by the Andani family. The committee has, for instance, lrgitimized the office of the roadmap document. Ever since the promulgation of the roadmap document, the Asantehene committee has not implemented any single provision of the document that seeks to bring relief to the Abudu family.Whereas the committee implemented the roadmap by allowing the Adani family to bury the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II in the Gbewa Palace and, installed tha Kampakuya-Naa as his regent, it failed to implement a clause in the roadmap which grants the Abudu family access to the Gbewaa palace for the perforamnec of the funeral of the late Ya-Naa Mahamadu Abdulai IV.It is sad to observe that the Asantehene committee has conveintely discared the roapmap to peace document and are now operating under the whims and caprices of the so called kug-Naa.Even when the committee, in its wisdom, came to the conclusion that the two funerals should be performed in the Gbewaa palace as provided for in the roadmap, they capitulated to the partisan and jaundiced position of the Kug-Naa, who is prejudiced on this matter and has never been neutral or impartial ever since his illegal enskinment by the Kampakuya-Naa. We wish to state, for the records, that the Gbewaa palace is the focal point for the performance of the final funeral rites of the late Ya-Naa Mahamadu AbdulaiIV. The palace was built by his great grandfather, the late Ya-Naa Alhassan Abdulai. The late Ya-Naa Mahamadu Abdulai resided in the palace as overlord of Dagbon from 1969 to 1974. He was buried in the palace when he died in 1988.
The performance of his final funeral rites, as that of a deceased Ya-Naa, has delayed for twenty-seven years now because the Andani royal family has been denied access to the Gbewaa palace The family has advanced compelling resons why the funeral shoukd be performed in the Gbewaa palace. It is the expressed position of the Abudu royal family that we will not perform the funeral anywhere else, other than the Gbewaa palace. Ladies and gentlemen of the media, we recalled that at a meeting with the two feuding royal families and the Asantehene committee at Peduase Lodge in April 2014, the president, His Execellency John Dramani Mahama, tasked the committee to resume their mediation process, with the explicit directive to work towards the performance of the funerals of the two late Ya-Nas. The president has, on at least two different private meetings with the Abudu family, assured the family of his commitment to renovate the Gbewaa palace for the two funerals to be performed. Again, during the Damba festival in January last year at Yendi, the president reiterated his commitment to see to the renovation of the Gbewaa palace for the funerals. As a matter of fact, it was based on the assurance by the president, through his regional minister, of hisb government’s commitment to renovate the Gbewaa palace that convinced the Abudu family to join our cousins from the Andani family for the Damba festival. It is unfortunate, that upon all these assurance from the president and his government, nothing has been done about the renovation of the dilapidated palace. It is significant to note that ever since the president asked the committee of the Eminent Chiefs to resume their mediation process in April 2014, we have cooperated with the committee in their efforts to bring lasting peace to the Dagbon kingdom.We have continue to impress on our family members, supporters and sympathizers to remain calm and keep the peace in the Dagbon traditional area. We have succeeded in doing this by always giving them hope, that the Asantehene committee and the government are committed to the processs of renovating the palace for us to perform the funeral of Naa Mahamadu Abudulai IV. We were encouraged by the progress being made in the mediation process, especially on the matter of where to perform the two funerals.However, the lack of commitment and effort to commence work on the renovation of the Gbewaa palace is not promising.
There is growing frustration and despondency among our supporters and sympathizers. There is now an increasing degree of mistrust and disbelief of assurances emanating from the Asantehene Committee or the president. This creeping lost of faith in the peace process is very dangerous to the fragile peace in Dagbon. Nothing short of immediate and concrete steps in renovating the Gbewaa palace can rekindle the faith of our family members and supporters in the work of the committee.
ladies and gentlemen, in July last year, our attention was drawn to a public pronouncement by the Northern Regional Minister thT the government is committed to performing the two funerals in November 2015. Since his pronouncement, the government has not come out to deny or distance itself from his position. As a matter of fact, we had information from different sources confirming November last year as possible month for the performance of the funerals. As the November deadline was not met, there was a new deadline given; this time, by the Asantehene led Committee of Eminent Chiefs. As reported by the Daily Guide in their publication of the Wednesday, December 9,2015,”the Abudus as agreed will take occupation of the Gbewaa palace to perform the final funeral rites of Naa Mahamadu Abudulai between January 8 and 15,2016″. Ladies and gentleman, it is now obvious that this statement coming from the eminent Chiefs has also turned out to be a hoax. Today is January 11,2016 and there has not been any commencement of renovation works at the Gbewaa palace, not to talk of starting a funeral performance in the palace. Unfortunately, it is becoming extremely difficult to convince our people that the Asantehene committee and the government are truly committed to the peace process. The growing perception of lack of commitment by the committee and the president on the performance of Naa Mahamadu Abdulai IV funeral in the Gbewaa palace is heightening tension and increasing anxiety among our family members and sympathizers. This is clearly a recipe for violence in the area.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, we are compelled under the circumstances to serve notice that if by Monday, 25th January 2016 there is no renovation works going on at the Gbewaa palace for the two funerals, we will advice ourselves. We intend to explore all means necessary to gain access to the Gbewaa palace to perform Naa Mahamadu Abdulai’s funeral. We pray that the Asantehene committee and the president would redeem their promised to the good people of Dagbon to bring lasting peace to the kingdom. It is trite knowledge that the non-performance of the final funeral rites of Naa Mahamadu Abdulai in the Gbewaa palace and stability of the Dagbon traditional Arab in particular, and the security of the nation in bernal. It is hope that the committee and the president would appreciate the fierce urgency now, and act with dispatch in commencing renovation works at the Gbewaa palace.
ladies and gentleman, in conclusion, we would like to state that the Abudu royal family should not be blame for any situation in the area if the Asantehene committee and the president continue to follow the intransigent and misguided counsel of the Kug-Naa who has usurped the powers reserved for the Gushe-Naa in the absence of a substantive Ya-Naa. We refused to condone the uncustomary and illegal recognition and prestige bestowed on the Kug-Naa by the Asantehene committee and the president. The fate of our great kingdom cannot be bound to the whimsical delusion of a usurper. We can only achieve lasting peace in the kingdom through the spirit of cooperation, compromise, and give and take. We, in the Abudu family, have demonstrated these qualities throughout the mediation process. The least we expect is commensurate reciprocity, but not outright indignation.
thank you for your time. God bless the Dagbon kingdom, and may God continue to bless our homeland Ghana.
signed by ..
Vahini- Naa, Dr Nantognah Mahama
spokesperons
