CULTURAL NEWS
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
 

‘New Wa na’s nomination opposed’
 

REJOINDER

I read wit the utmost shock and disbelief the content of a press conference in your most renowned newspaper dated January 22.  The press conference was supposed to be organized by one Alhaji Issa Bukari who claimed to be Gbetore-Naa.

The said press conference was full of distortions and deliberate lies meant to denigrate our heritage and our history.  Indeed if Alhaji Issa Bukari was the real convener of the press conference then it is very regrettable and unfortunate being an elder of Yijiihi.

Alhaji Issa suggested in the press conference that he was unaware of the meeting that resulted in the election of the Wa Na and that he as ‘Gbetor Na’ or ‘Nabikpong’, should have been the convener of the meeting.  He also gave an erroneous impression that the kingmakers were not representative enough.

To start with at the election of the Wa Na five out of the seven kingmakers were all present in persons.  There were Tendaana, Yeri Na, Foroko, Guli Na, and Kperihi Na.  The two who were absent were Sing Na and Busa seat is still vacant only Sing Na was effectively absent.

Alhaji Bukari, the self conferred Gbetore Na (Gbetore Na was not conferred on him by any Wa Na, though it is a prerequisite), was part of the meeting with Municipal Security Council January 5, 2007, in which all the kingmakers except Sing Na, met to come to a consensus on the following issues:

1.                  That they accept to meet as kingmakers for the purpose of electing a Wa Na.

2.                  That whoever was elected by the kingmakers was to be accepted by all the kingmakers.

There had been an earlier meeting facilitated by the Municipal Security Council which all the kingmakers agreed that they will sign an undertaking to ensure a peaceful election of a Wa Na.

When the document was prepared for their signatures, two of the kingmakers, the Sing Na and the Foroko’s representative, instigated by Alhaji Issa, refused to sign.  Later Osman Kasim, a respected senior member of the Foroko family stepped forward and signed the document.

The Sing Na indicated his reason in a letter, saying he will not attend any meeting called by the Municipal Security Council nor the Tendana.  But in reality he had already offered his support to the scandalous declaration of Alhaji Issa’s candidate as Wa Na and will not want to be more controversial.  It resulted in the stalling of the process of selecting a Wa Na until the last meeting which Alhaji Issa also attended.

Like the Sing Na Alhaji Issa also objected to the traditional role of the Tendana to call a meeting of the kingmakers and so it was suggested that he should call a meeting and resolve the differences before a final meeting to select the Wa Na.  This he never did.

The Tendana, who as tradition demands, is the king pin in convening such meetings, took the initiative as has always been throughout history, and invited all the kingmakers to a meeting to elect the Wa Na, Alhaji Issa attended this meeting and when his suggestion to postpone the meeting he fretted and walked out.

All this while, Alhaji Issa’s candidate for Wa Na Alhaji Issa Seidu had declared himself Wa Na and announced that he was going to be outdoored on the January 27.

Even though Alhaji Issa by his own definition of who a kingmaker is, is not a kingmaker he was equally invited to the meeting of the kingmakers.  In fact he is neither the Busa Na nor the regent of Busa but which position he claimed to occupy.  Nor can he claim the position of Nabipong since he’s not the oldest of the royals in Yijiihi and among his peers.  His major claim of closeness to the Castle and his constant threat to instigate the dismissal of the Municipal Chief Executive and the Regional Minister.

Alhaji Issa also claimed that the Municipal Chief Executive who all throughout distanced himself from interfering in the selection process, deplored the military and police to keep security so he could not do anything about the process of electing the Wa Na.  What did he want to do and wanted the security out of the way?  This is ridiculous and incredulous!

In order to go our and hold a public event like electing the Wa Na the kingmakers wrote a letter to the police for permission and for security.  That permission was granted and he knew about that!  What else did he expect?

But Alhaji Issa’s most unaccepted claim in his ill fated press conference was when he said that “ the Chiefs and Elders of the Jonyorsi, Najari and Yijiihi royal clans together with the Foroko were not party to the nomination” of the new Wa Na.

This untruth suggests that the press conference was simply malicious and wholly treacherous.  To start with he himself, Alhaji Issa Bukari, a Yijiihi elder from Funsi Na Jaga, attended the meeting.

Also from Yijiihi were Tuaha Na Musah along with his candidate, Yakubu Asani from Dunorkpong and Alhaji Alhassan and his candidate Seleh Na from Pelpuo Jaga.  Other sub-chiefs from Yijiihi were Segbesi Na, and Tisa Na.

From the Najeri gate, the head of the gate, Kperihi Na, his elder chief, Yeru Na Mumuni Saaka Mengu and some of their sub-chiefs were also present.  The Foroko represented by Osman Kasim (a.k.a. Wages) along with 3 elder members of the Foroko family were also present.  All these people were part to the nomination of the Wa Na and played various roles.

What did Alhaji Issa mean when he said the members of these mentioned clans were not present?

We deem the contents of the press conference unacceptable and full of malice and full of malice and Alhaji Issa must apologise to the kingmakers and especially to Yeri Na whom he unfortunately referred to a “one Alhaji Mogtari”.

Alhaji Alhassan Pelpuo,
Wa Nayiri
Pelpuo House,
P.O. Box 1108, Wa – Upper West.

*Source

The Ghanaian Times     -       Tuesday, January 30, 2007                      Page:  13