Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has revealed that the ongoing conflict in Bawku prevented his party’s presidential candidate from visiting the town during a regional tour.
According to Mr. Ayariga, NDC’s John Mahama was advised by security experts to avoid the conflict zone to ensure the safety of his entourage and the local residents who intended to join his team.
Speaking on Woezor TV on Saturday, August 3, Mr. Ayariga apologized to the angry youth who subsequently went on a rampage.
“John Dramani Mahama couldn’t drive through the town yesterday. We had to bypass the town because many youths wanted to follow him, and driving through the town with them posed a risk. My uncle also had difficulties attending the rally, and the youth demanded that John Dramani Mahama come to them. However, the security situation was not promising, and we didn’t want to trigger any incidents. When we decided to avoid the town, the youth were very bitter, and they burned posters of me and John Mahama. It hurts, but we were advised by security experts not to take the risk,” he explained.
His comments follow viral videos of NDC youth in Natinga burning party paraphernalia, including posters of the parliamentary and presidential candidates.
Sources indicate that the youth were upset with the NDC flagbearer’s inability to visit the Chief of Bawku and other traditional leaders.
Apologizing for the oversight, Mr. Ayariga further explained that the entourage faced time constraints.
“We had already made four stops, exceeding the two allotted, and we had far surpassed the time allocated to Bawku,” he added.
He assured that Mr. Mahama would visit the town as part of his campaign across the country.
“We appreciate the love for the party and the desire to host the flagbearer. I assure them that this is just the beginning of the campaign. The flagbearer, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, will surely visit Natinga in due course.”