It is reported that, the chiefs and people of the Gonja Kingdom recently observed one year Anniversary of their newly installed King, Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Soale I, which took place at Damongo.
During the program, the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akuffo-Addo was invited to speak at the function. The program however coincided with the Annual Congress of the Gonjaland Youth Association and the Guan Congress.
According to the reports, the program was planned to proceed along the protocols as the King and his council so preferred to all participants. And as it were, the President of the Gonjaland Youth was to speak first, followed by the speech from the King, then Former President Mahama and then President Akuffo-Addo was billed to be the last speaker.
And when the President arrived, though late, he was ushered in and was taken round to exchange pleasantries with the chiefs. But, in an attempt to undermine the authority of the Yagbonwura and the collective pride of the people of the Gonja Kingdom, the Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency, Hon Abu Jinapor, reached out to the Yagbonwura and requested that he stood up and descended from his skins in order to exchange hand shakes with the President. The Yagbonwura who stood on his rights didn’t pay heed to this act of disrespect to his stool.
Then on a second count,, the NPP regional Chairman, Mr. Kalamonia equally followed up to the King and also placed the same request, which the Yagbonwura played a deaf ear to. And according to the reporter the President was angered by the refusal of the Yagbonwura to stand up and descend from his skins to exchange pleasantries with him. But he had no option than to move to the Yagbonwura to shake hands with him.
The program proceeded according to plan; the President of the Gonjaland Youth Association presented his speech and as expected, it was supposed to be followed by the speech from the Yagbonwura. But again, something strange happened, so that, Hon Abu Jinapor on the instructions of the President stampeded the MC of the program and took the mic from him and then announced that, the President had his helicopter waiting and so, he was going to present his speech and then leave. Surprisingly, this announcement came without recourse to the King, and no reasonable explanations were given to the audience for clarity sake
He said, the President proceeded to present his 5 mins speech, and left with all his appointees and NPP functionaries at the program without any remorse, leaving behind only the Member of the Council of state on the high table.
According to the reporter, Issifu Seidu Kudus Gbeadese (Youth Imam from Laribanga) the NDC functionaries beholding this sheer show of disrespect to the elders of the Gonjaland also requested that the former President Mahama too leave the program. But the former President respectfully called for calm indicating he was at the program as a son of the land and not in any position to disrespect the King, his father, and the people of Gonjaland as a whole.
Then President Mahama proceeded to give his speech after the King had presented his. In his speech, the former President Mahama made a solemn pledge to the King, that just as he delivered the Fufulso-Sawla road, he was also going to deliver the Damongo Water Project in his next government. He also pledged to build a regional hospital in Savannah as well as in all the newly created regions. He went further to promise that he was going to build a stadium for the region, among other pledges.
