The Flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has told a crowd of mourning supporters to handle their differences with intelligence and civility, adding differences will always exist as long as they are ”human beings and not robots”.
Speaking at the solemn burial ceremony for the party's late Upper East Regional Chairman, who died under bizarre and murky circumstances, Nana Addo asked the party followers to forge ahead in unity in such difficult moments.
The party leader, who cut short his European tour to partake in the burial ceremony of Alhaji Adams Mahama, asked the party followers to use the sad passing of the “exceptional” party member, to remind themselves that politics is a competition of ideas.
“It's a time in our party that we should all stand together and ensure that whatever differences that there are between us; there will always be differences because we are not robots. We are human beings. But we must find a way to resolve those differences as intelligent and civilized people by argument and not by force. He (Adams Mahama) was an exceptional man”.
“What has happened is taking us back and we don't want to go back. We want to move forward. We will use this day to always remind ourselves that violence has no place in any democracy. Today also reminds us that political competition, is a competition of ideas and that's what it has to be”.
Nana Addo said the party had lost an irreplaceable comrade, adding his death must not be in vain.
“If the late Adams had any wish, it was for the NPP to win power in 2016”.
He thus rallied the support of every genuine member to honour the memory of Adams' by working hard towards securing victory for the party in the 2016 elections.
Nana Akufo-Addo assured the family that the party will continue to stand with them; “You will not lack or want,” he assured.
Family Reaction
Meanwhile the family of the deceased, have joined the chorus of unproven allegations linking some national leaders of the party to the murder.
The family accused some unnamed members of the NPP of undermining and frustrating Mr. Adams Mahama's work in the region.
In an emotionally charged speech after the burial of Mr. Mahama, the spokesperson for the family, Mr. Rockson Bukari, appealed directly to the flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo to personally intervene and get the perpetrators of the attack on their brother out of the NPP.
He alleged that the persons who orchestrated the tragic acid attack on the charismatic young chairman leading to his death Thursday morning must be flushed out of the party.
Mr. Bukari said removing the sponsors of Adams Mahama's attack is a first step towards building a more cohesive, united party.
Mr. Adams Mahama, who left behind four children and a number of dependants both within and outside his family as a renowned and successful businessman, died a day after he was bathed with acid.
His attackers, alleged to be from within the opposition NPP, are perceived to have links with party's National Chairman Paul Afoko and the General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong, who both had a misunderstanding with him a fortnight before his shocking death.
There has been rising tension in the party compelling the police to provide constant security at the party's headquarters in Accra. The tension was extended to the funeral grounds where some persons in a peaceful demonstration wielded placards calling for unity, but mainly demanding the dismissal of the two national executives from the party.
Despite heavy police and military presence at the funeral, it was an arduous task controlling the crowd.
For now, police are holding one suspect, Gregory Afoko, who is coincidentally a brother to the National NPP Chairman Paul Afoko, for his alleged role in the acid attack.
By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/3news.com/Ghana