Trouble continues to brew in the Yunyoo constituency of the Northern region over the creation of a new district for the area as the Konkomba ethnic majority doubled down on a campaign for the district capital to be sited on their soil.
The konkombas have declared that the capital of the new district should be sited in Namong, a strategic Konkomba community, and have rejected the proposed Yunyoo District Assembly as contained in an L. I currently before parliament.
Tensions spurned out of control in the impoverished constituency leading to several gunshots last week after information got out that the capital of the yet to be created district was to be sited in Yunyoo, a Mamprusi dominated small town.
At a press conference on Monday, November 27, 2017 organized by Chiefs and various interest groups in the Konkomba land, the konkombas condemned the shooting incident and called for ethnic unity whiles insisting the district capital must be in Namong, a village home to many prominent regional politicians including the NDC Member of Parliament for the area, Joseph Bipoba Naabu.
Addressing the conference at Gbungbani, President of the Konkombas Students Union, Emmanuel Gulari accused the electoral commission’s team tasked to undertake a viability field study into the creation of more districts, of doing a poor job saying the team never came into the constituency for the task.
According to him, this single act by the electoral commission had exposed a grand plot by some individuals to yet again deny konkombas of getting a district, adding “any work done by this team is of no interest to the people, especially the majority in the Yunyoo constituency as of now until the proper thing is done as mandated by the commission”.
He appealed to the President to intervene by ordering, if not advising, through the electoral commission the team to come into the constituency to correct the mistake.
The Konkombas also boasted about their dominance in the constituency, in terms of numbers and influence and warned of tremendous political and security consequences if the capital of the yet to be created district is situated in Yunyoo.
“We wish to state vividly with explicitness that about 90% of the language spoken in the Yunyoo constituency is associated with the 69 communities which has a voter population of 17,147 out of the total voter population of 22, 314 in the constituency representing the 76.84%.
“Whether the Language spoken in the area, the economic viability in the area, which could be the market or markets in the area, the voter population and the actual population in the area, a secure security communities, accessibility of the area, land for development, prevailing infrastructural facilities available or the strength to make and unmake any government at a particular time in an election, the 76.84% deserve the district capital in the Yunyoo constituency,” he argued.
Mr. Gulari ended the briefing by justifying the need for the new district to be called Yunyoo, but its capital in a Konkomba community.
“We wish to accentuate the physical location and economic viability of Konkomba communities in Yunyoo constituency. From the East of the constituency centre which is populated with Konkombas is Jimbale Konkomba market, in the West is Gbintiri Konkomba market, in the South are Tuna and Kulgona Konkomba markets and in the North is Nansuan Konkomba market.
The Eastern Corridor high way, fortunately, passes through this centre of the constituency from Yendi through Gbintiri to Namong through Nasuan to Bawku, If anyone thinks these facts are not true, then let’s hear them, Mr. Gulari challenged.
Source: Ghana/StarrFMonline.com/Eliasu Tanko
