Late chief’s family demands apology from Haruna Iddrisu

The family of the late Nakpa, Naa Salifu Dawuni, one of the contenders of the Bimbilla chieftaincy title, is demanding an apology from the Member of Parliament for Tamale South and Minority Leader in Parliament, for comments he allegedly made on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday February 22, 2017. The Minority Leader is reported ...

The family of the late Nakpa, Naa Salifu Dawuni, one of the contenders of the Bimbilla chieftaincy title, is demanding an apology from the Member of Parliament for Tamale South and Minority Leader in Parliament, for comments he allegedly made on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday February 22, 2017.

The Minority Leader is reported to have made comments on the floor after the Minister for Interior, Ambrose Dery, made a presentation on the Bimbilla chieftaincy clashes which claimed 10 lives and left others injured.

In a statement, the family of the late chief described the comments by the Minority leader as derogatory and malicious, intended to make political capital and also trivialized the death of the chief.

“The Member of Parliament for Tamale South, who is also the Minority leader in Ghana’s Parliament, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, is in recent past quoted as saying that the mortal remains of the late Naa Alhaji Salifu Dawuni is kept at the morgue, awaiting plans by the bereaved family to enskin him, which material effect in his view is insignificant here on earth and in the hereafter. The family considers his comments as not only derogatory but also malicious enough intended to make political capital and in particular, trivialize the death of the otherwise revered paramount chief and worse of all, invoke public curse and condemnations on the family,” the statement said.

Find below the full statement

BEREAVED FAMILY OF LATE NAA SALIFU DAWUNI DEMANDS AN APOLOGY FROM THE MP FOR TAMALE SOUTH, HON. HARUNA IDDRISU FOR MAKING DEROGATORY COMMENTS ABOUT THE LATE CHIEF.

The Member of Parliament for Tamale South who is also the Minority leader in Ghana’s Parliament, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu is in recent past quoted as saying that the mortal remains of the late Naa Alhaji Salifu Dawuni is kept at the morgue, awaiting plans by the bereaved family to enskine him, which material effect in his view is insignificant here on earth and in the hereafter. The family considers his comments as not only derogatory but also malicious enough intended to make political capital and in particular, trivialise the death of the otherwise revered paramount chief and worse of all, invoke public curse and condemnations on the family as though it was their decision as a family to keep the body unburied since 5th March, 2014.

For the information of the listening public and indeed the generality of the good people of Ghana, a couple of communications, copies of which are available for the records, the NDC-led government (of which he, the Hon. Member was a cabinet minister) seized the mortal remains of the otherwise revered chief and subsequently truncated the burial process until further notice all in fulfilment of the illegitimate demands and wishes of one of their own and contender, late Andani Dassana.

Subsequently, this became evident during a media encounter, occasioned by the demise of Andani Dassana which sad event occurred under bizarre circumstance,  the Mahama-led government pronounced him overlord and accordingly granted him State Burial in June, 2014, far ahead of the 8th October, 2014 judgement of the National House of Chiefs. This was not only mischievous to the disadvantage of late Naa Salifu who passed on about 4 months earlier but also a show of gross disregard for due process with particular reference to the National House of Chiefs’ letter dated 10th March, 2014 in which management of the House of Chiefs relied on section 34 of the chieftaincy act of 2008, Act 759 to declare the skin of Bimbilla vacant following an appeal against the earlier judgement of the Northern Region House of Chiefs.

Perhaps, the Hon.MP needs to be reminded that the said chief whose mortal remains is still at the morgue had until his death occupied 3 skin titles for decades,  including the paramouncies of Bakpaba and Nakpa unlike his contender, late Andani Dassana, who had no skin title to his credit and yet was honoured with state burial.

It is very much necessary to acknowledge that there exist quite significant commonalities in our customary practice and usage.  That notwithstanding there are eminent discords among us as Dagombas and Nanumbas, for example.

Contrary to his erroneous impression that it is culturally forbidden to burry chiefs at places other than their traditional communities, we, as Nanumbas have significant number of eminent chiefs in history to have been buried in Bimbilla, whose circumstances were nothing different from current events. These eminent chiefs include but not limited to the following:

Jua Naa Mushei

Jua Naa Kasapara

Nakpa Naa Natogmah Garili

Bakpab naa Wumbei

Bakpab naa Iddisah

Dokpam naa Daadinkai

Chamba naa Yakubu

Jimam naa Daadinkai

Shikpam naa Agoro

Shikpam naa Abarika

Tuu naa Mahama

Jua  naa Mahama( elder brother of late Andani Dassana)

Jua naa Andani ( another elder brother of Andani Dassana)

 

However, Hon. Haruna’s latest comment did not come to us as a surprise. As a family we have always suspected him and his cohorts to be responsible for our woes including the legal tussle he referred to in his submission on the floor of parliament today, the 22nd of February, 2017. It is indeed a confirmation of his resolve, like other big wigs of same faith to defy all odds to legitimise the reign of the disputed regent whose father’s eligibility as Bimbilla naa is what is currently in contest at the Supreme Court, the effect of which leaves in doubt, the legitimacy of his regency. Hon. Haruna, in fact enough of your hypocrisy. If you can no longer profit from the Dagbang chieftaincy impasse, we can assure you that Nanung is certainly not an alternative. we have resolved to resist fiercely any attempt to rundown our age-old succession system by any unscrupulous individuals who are desperately sowing seeds of confusion for political capital.

Conclusively, your  statement was unfortunate and needless and that it must be revoked in the spirit of humility. Accordingly, we request of you to consider apologising to us as the bereaved family and the generality of Nunumbas. Please in the interest of unity of purpose stay out of the Bimbilla chieftaincy succession dispute.

 

……signed……………….

SAGNARIGU-LANA,SHANI  AZUMAH

 

(Head of Family)

0243615968

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By: Mohammed Aminu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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