The Abudu Royal Family in Dagbon has announced its decision to pull out of the ongoing process to review the 1930 constitution of the Dagbon State. The family says they are left with no other option under the present circumstances than to pull out completely.
The Secretary of the Abudu royal family, Abubakari Issahaq, at a news conference on Thursday (October 21, 2021), said the Abudus have not been given proportionate representation from the beginning of the exercise and calls made by Chiefs from the family have fallen on deaf ears.
Also, he stated the consultants spearheading the process – Lawyer Mohammed Mumuni and Ibrahim Abass (Rtd) both are Andani royal sympathizers.
“Our Chiefs officially raised eyebrows and their calls were unheeded. Now we have copies of a second draft still done solely by the select few without recourse to bringing onboard sympathizers of Abudu royal family nominated to various committees. Questions is; what is there to hide that we can’t open up the system for participation from Abudu family sympathizers?
“Indeed, the Abudu Royal Family may be right in seeing what is going on as a surreptitious adventure or bite the bullet tactics from two persons under the tutelage of no person other than Ibrahim Mahama, whose self-seeking agenda since 1969 has been to keep Dagbon perpetually in a state of anarchy” he asserted.
Abubakari Issahaq further claimed that work thus far is for an interest which defeats genuine reforms of the Dagbon constitution and therefore if it is approved will be a recipe for chaos, disunity, mistrust and litigations.
The Secretary added the processes pertaining to the drafting of the new Dagbon constitution have not been transparent.
“It now appears to us that the new constitution is already a decided one and what anyone else says is irrelevant. We say so after carefully looking at what is happening.”
He alleged there is a calculated attempt to distort the historic tradition of Dagbon and shelve the truth about what even the chiefs are agreeing about the Dagbon custom.
He recounted some Concerned Chiefs of Dagbon on June 23, 2021, raised some germane issues in a petition to Ya Naa Abukari II for which they’re unable to participate in the constitutional review process. However, he added the traditional leaders on July 9, 2021, received what he described as an emotionally charged letter bereft of conciliatory gesture, giving them doubts as to its authenticity.
“This letter needed a serious attention so as to take a relook at the posturing of those behind the review of the 1930 document and correct the anomalies therein. We believe what Dagbon needs now in the process to update our law is to offer an opportunity for every thorny issue to be reviewed in an open, frank and dispassionate atmosphere to engender the peace, unity, trust and progress we all yearn for”
