Mahama Invited Chiefs

Details

Parent Category: Our Country

Category: Politics

Created on Saturday, 16 February 2013 00:00

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Mahama Invited Chiefs

Details of the meeting between President John Mahama and the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs have started emerging, days after it generated a heated debate.

Hours after the said meeting which was held at the new seat of government, the Flagstaff House, executives of the Eastern regional branch of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) issued a statement in which they described the visit by the traditional rulers as ‘unwarranted’ and politically motivated.

An appeal by the chiefs who were led by Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, for President Mahama to do well to accept the outcome of a petition before the Supreme Court seeking to invalidate his election, was equally rubbished by the NDC chieftains.

DAILY GUIDE however stumbled on information that indicated that the various regional houses of chiefs were actually invited to the Presidency to pay homage to the President in order to give him legitimacy in the face of a challenge to his presidency in court.

A letter inviting the chiefs were said to have been dispatched through the various regional ministers with a message that “you are invited to pay a courtesy call on His Excellency the President”.

DAILY GUIDE learnt that very soon, other institutions and professional bodies would be line up to congratulate the president as the chiefs had been made to do.

It was the same message received by the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, of which the Okyenhene is the President.

The invitation letters requesting the chiefs to meet the President stated the dates and times for the meeting.

What was still not clear was why it would take the President to invite the chiefs to the presidency just to congratulate him, since there was no stated reason for the invitation.

Some, including political analysts, had suggested that the move could be part of a scheme by the President and his handlers to get the chiefs and other bodies and institutions to go and congratulate him on his victory in a bid to legitimize his presidency, in spite of the dispute over the elections.

Responding to queries from DAILY GUIDE, lawyer for the Okyenhene, Kwame Acheampong Boateng said, “Information I gathered was that they were invited; so they didn’t go there on their own volition”.

He struggled to put up a genuine reason for which the traditional rulers were invited to the presidency, claiming that “during the election, the politicians went round…went to all the chiefs, sought their permission to do whatever it is to get the votes of their people.

So eventually, if anybody emerges a winner out of the contest, tradition demands that they the chiefs will also congratulate him.”

Lawyer Boateng himself appreciated the fact that this could lead to probing questions since he asked rhetorically, “So everybody will ask so why will they be invited?”

“Me, I specifically asked this question and the answer I got was that they were invited to come and meet the President,” he said.

Though he admitted “it’s an issue”, the Okyenhene’s lawyer was quick to add that “the fact of the matter is that they didn’t just get up to go there; they were invited by the presidency to come and speak to the President as to what they have in mind.”

Source: Daily Guide/Ghana