“We won’t allow Mahamadu Abdulai funeral to be performed in Gbewaa palace,”Andani family tells Abudus

The Andani Royal family in Dagbon has reiterated its strong stance against the performance of the funeral of Mahamadu Abdulai at the Gbewaa palace.

Restating its position on Sunday during the celebration of the 14th anniversary of the murder of Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II at the Gbewaa Palace, the family noted that allowing the performance of the funeral will mean rewarding criminals and condoning wrong doing.

The Andani family maintained that Mahamadu Abdulai was fraudulently enskinned as Ya-Naa in 1969 and appropriately desskinned in 1974. The family said Mahama Abdulai died out of office as a private person at a private location and that his funeral cannot be performed at the Gbewaa palace.

Recitation of the Holy Quran took place at the fore court of the Gbewaa palace in Yendi for the departed soul of the late overlord Yakubu II who was murdered together with forty of his retinue on 27 March, 2002.

A solemn moment was also observed for that dark day. The chief Imam of Yendi, Alhaji Yussif Yakubu, led the recitation prayer for good rain this year so that farmers could start the farming season on a positive note.

He also prayed for peace to reign in Dagbon and to prevent the Dagbon kingdom from the destructive rainstorms which have already started in some districts in the northern region including Yendi.

A statement which was signed by the regent of Dagbon, Abdulai Yakubu Andani, and read by a member of the family, Alhassan Basharu Dabali accused the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) of facilitating the attack on the Gbewaa palace in 2002 with the aim of forcibly removing Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II from the palace to pave way for the funeral of Mahamadu Abdulai to be performed.

The Andani family also asked government to stay away from the customs and traditions of Dagbon because it is not the Asantehene’s palace nor presidency that chooses the Yaa-Naa. That role, they said, is the exclusive preserve of the custodians of Dagbon headed by the Kuga Naa.

In a final appeal, the family entreated government to respect these tenets of Dagbon traditions and customs and allow the custodians of Dagbon to perform their responsibilities, noting that it recognizes government’ role in facilitating this process by ensuring that there is law and order.
BELLOW IS THE FULL STATEMENT OF ANDANI FAMILY

STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF THE 14TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MURDER OF YAA-NAA YAKUBU ANDANI II: YENDI, 27 MARCH 2016.
On the occasion of the 14th anniversary of Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II and several members of his royal court, we members of the Andani family take the opportunity to pray to Almighty Allah to have mercy of him and on all those martyrs who perished along with him.
We also take this opportunity to remind the government of Ghana that these murders have not been resolved, not for want of evidence but due to the lack of political will.
We wish to state that we are systematically documenting our repeated calls to the powers that be that they have the responsibility to the people of Ghana and to the people of Dagbon in particular to ensure that justice and the rule of law prevail.
We also remind government that the sacred of oath of office of the president enjoins him to do right to all manner of persons. It is a constitutional obligation.

We further wish to state that government should not delude itself into thinking that by deliberately procrastinating on this matter, long lapse of time consign the murders to history. By reveling in this delusion, government should not turn round one day and look surprised when the wind of complacency it has continued to sow all these years, results in a whirlwind.
We really do hope that a day will not arrive when we would say to the government that ‘ we repeatedly told you so’.
Having made theses points, we now wish to turn our attention to other equally important matters.
1. The issue of the performance of the funeral of deceased Yaa-Naa is the exclusively prerogative of the custodians of Dagbon traditions. So also are matters related to the selection of a Yaz-Naa. We therefore as government to respect theses tenets of Dagbon traditions and customs and allow the custodians of Dagbon traditions to perform their responsibilities. Government may facilitate this process by ensuring that there is law and order.
2 we have taken note of those internal moles in the wider Anadni family, most of whom in the past benefited from around the magnanimity of the late Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II. These moles have now turned round and are moving heaven and earth to undermine the legacy of the late Yaa-Naa. We would like to tell theses moles that such treachery has consequences, and that Dagbon drum historians are taking note of these acts of betrayal. When the dust finally settles on this tragic phase of our history, we will take stock of their conduct and act accordingly.
3. For the avoidance of doubt we would like to reiterate very forcibly, that we shall under no circumstance allow for the funeral of Mahamadu Abdulai to be performed at the Gbewaa palace. To allow this to happen is to reward crime since this was the reason the NPP facilitated the attack on the Gbewaa palace in 2002 with the sole purpose of forcibly removing Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II from the palace to pave the way for the funeral of Mahamaud Abdulai to be performed. The attack eventually resulted in the murder of the Yaa-Naa and several members of his royal household.
The point must be made that the said Mahamdu Abdulai was fraudulently enskinned as Yaa-Naa in 1969 and appropriately de-skinned in 1974. He died out of office as a private person at a private location. His funeral cannot therefore be performed at the Gbewaa palace.

Finally, we would like to commend the steadfastness of all those honorable men and women of Dagbon and beyond for their sense of integrity and justice in their support of the cause of the Andani Family. We would be able to defeat the continue of violence and impunity in Dagbon and bring about lasting peace and prosperity in this troubled area and in the country at large.

Signed: Abdulai Yakubu Andani
For and on behalf of the Andani family.