Namong Should Be Capital of Yunyoo District

Members of the Komkomba ethnic group in the Yunyoo Constituency in the Northern Region of Ghana, have renewed calls to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, that Namong should be the capital of the yet yo be created Yunyoo District Assembly.

The Yunyoo District is to be carved out of the existing Bunkprugu-Yunyoo District Assembly as part of plans by the current government to create additional districts nationwide.

But even before the Electoral Commission of Ghana begins its work, there were reported gunshots in the Yunyoo Constituency about a fortnight ago over the location of the district capital.

Whereas some residents the Constituency are proposing Yunyoo as the district capital, others want Namong, one of the densely populated and commercially viable Konkomba communities.

In view of this, the Konkomba chiefs in Yunyoo in collaboration with the Konkomba Students Union (KONSU) and other groups at a press briefing yesterday, said their demand was non-negotiable.

They blamed the Electoral Commission of failing to do due diligence in determining the status of Yunyoo as a district or not.

Below is the full statement.

27th November, 2017.

PRESS STATEMENT BY KONKOMBA CHIEFS IN YUNYOO CONSTITUENCY, KONKOMBA STUDENT UNION (KONSU), KONKOMBA DEVELOMENT ASSOCIATION (KODA) AND KONKOMBA YOUTH ASSOCIATION (KOYA) ON THE STANCE OF KONKOMBAS ON THE DISTRICT CREATION IN YUNYOO CONSTITUENCY.

Our statement:

Press men and women, you’re welcome to this Press briefing on the stance of Konkombas regarding the yet to be created district in the Yunyoo Constituency.

First of all, the press, ladies and gentlemen, we, the groups mentioned above want to undoubtedly and unequivocally condemn the 16TH November, 2017 sporadic gunshots in Yunyoo community.

We, for this reason wish to apprise the press and the general public that the content of the gunshots heard on the dawn of 16th November, 2017 is not known to us and that whoever had this intention and went there to exchange this sporadic shooting must put a stop to it and help the people of Yunyoo constituency especially Konkombas maintain the undisrupted peace that had prevailed in the constituency before this unwarranted incident occurred. Ladies and gentlemen and the press, we want to reiterate the point that Konkombas would be grateful if the existing peace between us and Mamprusis is maintained to its peak.

Having said this, ladies and gentlemen, however, we deem it very fit to still maintain our stance and as well declare it here in this conference that our instantaneous and continuous cry to central government to site the capital of the yet to be created district in a Konkomba community is still our position as a group and this is purely for development purposes.

The press, ladies and gentlemen, we think that 69 out of the 80 communities making up the constituency if awarded the district capital would help foster the needed development and boost the economic activities in the area.

Fellow Ghanaians, the press, 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. If anyone thinks these facts are not true, then let’s hear them.

Ladies and gentlemen and the press, the Eastern Corridor high way fortunately passes through this centre of the constituency from Yendi through Gbintiri to Namong through Nasuan to Bawku.
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%.

Our findings

The press, we wish to assert without doubt that the team constituted by the Electoral Commission to work on the district creation and whose work should have started on the 27th October and ended on the 10th November 2017 never came to Yunyoo constituency.

Thus, 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.

Our appeal

We see the happenings in Yunyoo constituency as worrying and we feel disgruntled, so are crying and calling on the president of the Republic of Ghana, H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo -Addo to, through the Electoral Commission order, if not advise the team to do as the Commission stipulated in the communiqué issued on the criteria to have been used in selecting a district and district capital.

Our conclusive stance

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.

The district, however, could still be named Yunyoo district Assembly but the capital, respectfully, should be sited in Namong.
Thank you for coming.
Chiefs’ Spokesperson
Name: Chief
Tele. 0205138626
Chiefs’ Secretary
Name: Chief Tahiru Damani.
Tele. 0245122693, 0265691760
KODA Representative
KOYA Representative
KONSU Representative
Emmanuel Gulari (President)
Tele…0245241554, 0200660658
Cc
PRESIDENT, H .E NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFU-ADDO
POLICE COMMANDER, BUNKPURUGU-YUNYOO DISTRICT
MINISTER, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
REGIONAL CHAIRMAN OF NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY, NORTHERN REGION
DISTRICT CHIEF EXCECUTIVE, BUNKPURUGU-YUNYOO
SPEAKER, PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA.
CLERK OF PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA
ECLECTORAL COMMISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA
NORTHERN REGIONAL DIRECTOR, ELECTORAL COMMISSION
DISTRICT DIRECTOR, ELECTORAL COMMISSION, BUNKPURUGU
BEREAU OF NATIONAL INVESTIGATION, BUNKPURUGU
PARAMOUNT CHIEF, MAMPRUGU TRADITIONAL AREA.