Nobody should make the mistake that Bugri Naabu’s tribal statement was made out of own volition. His statement is directly from the Vice President and only was used as a conveyor. The former Northern regional chairman of the NPP , Bugri Naabu who spoke the mind of the Vice President, made one of the most infantile political statements since the 4th Republic.

Bugri Naabu like the Vice President and their few supporters claim “Rejecting Alhaji Bawumia means the NPP hates northerners”.

This statement if the NPP had serious National Executives would have led to the sanctioning of the Former Northern regional chairman.

The Vice President ever since he declared his intentions to contest the flagbearership of the NPP has demonstrated that he lacked a message and so is only relying on tribal sentiments to win votes.His campaign the last six years has all been about tribalism and seeing that Ghanaians are not taking him serious, decided to go and hide behind Bugri to re-echo their main campaign message which is “Vote for me because am from the North”.

Let’s first of all ask the Vice President and Bugri Naabu as to whether or not in all the years the NPP has chosen someone from the Northern part of the country, though they do not vote for us in equal measure, it meant the NPP never liked people from other parts of the country? The NPP chose Roland Alhassan in 1992, Aliu Mahama in 2000 and Bawumia in 2008. In all these years that the party chose someone from the northern part, I am sure we had people from Greater Accra, Western Region,Volta etc that never saw the NPP as hating them.

The current Vice President probably could qualify as the most luckiest person in this country. Someone who was never a member of the NPP.Joined the NPP in 2008 and the very day he joined the party, was given a card and rewarded with the second most powerful position in the party and we have the likes of Bugri Naabu trying to say what? Hey the Vice President should not try to insult the sensibilities of NPP members who have never enjoyed a common polling station executive positions before though their forebears sacrificed for this party. The Vice President should not be ungrateful to this party for all that he has acquired despite not being part of those that struggled for this party.

To further expose the Vice President who spoke through Bugri Naabu, he equates the NPP to the Ashantis.This is the true intent of both the Vice President and his henchman Bugri Naabu. Their hate for Ashantis is so monumental that Bugri Naabu could not separate the NPP from the Ashantis. I ask Bugri and the Vice President whether it is only the Ashantis that will vote in the upcoming elections? In any case when was the last time an Ashanti occupied the flagbearership position of the Npp? If he cares to know, Nana Akufo-Addo and the Vice President are never Ashantis and for the last 15years have led this party. Have you ever heard any Ashanti complained? But I don’t blame Bugri and the Vice President but rather people of conscience in this party who are allowing them to ride on these tribal hegemony.

The like of Bugri Naabu must be told that if he really wants to front for the Vice President and make a case for his flagbearership bid, he should compel the veep to bring his vision for the country now.

As we speak, whereas Mr. Kyerematen is speaking to delegates and stakeholders in this country about his plans for the future,we have a vice President and his team going round and telling people to vote for him because he is a northerner.By the way is northerner a tribe?

The person that is claiming as though all northerners are one currently has his tribe fighting Gonjas as well as Kusasis. It would have been proper for him to demonstrate his competence by first being able to solve the conflict between the Gonjas and the Mamprusis and that of the Kusasis.As of now, hundreds of police personnel have been stationed in Daboya because of this conflict costing the state huge sums of money not to talk about the military presence in Bawku with its attendant cost.

I will entreat the Vice President to come out with his plans. The country has gone beyond No Action, Talk Only or as the Ashesi University Students now puts it “No Action, Lectures Only (NALO).

The new patriotic party has been so magnanimous to people from the northern part of this country especially under this administration. This is an administration that has both the interior and the defense minister plus the vice president coming from the northern part of this country. Does he Bugri and the Vice President think is acceptable to have such two important portfolios occupied by two individuals from the northern part of the country? Has he and the Vice President ever complained on these appointments before?

The election of the NPP flagbearer is purely based on competence and clearly from the way they are behaving, it clearly tells me that they have no message in terms of clear vision.It clearly shows that Alan is miles ahead of the Vice President in terms of competence and that is why Bugri Naabu and the Vice President are unable to speak on matters of competence between Alan and the Veep.

I will conclude by saying that the Vice President has no message of hope and that what the teeming youth of this country are waiting for is a leader who will provide them jobs.

Sustainable jobs that will feed their family for a long time and not Nabco type of jobs which only wastes country’s resources and keep the youth unemployed.

By: Solomon Owusu