Amid efforts to restore peace and harmony in the ongoing Bawku conflict in the Upper East Region, political commentator and leader of the Union Government, Akwasi Addae Odike, has proposed a mechanism to successfully bring finality to the matter.
Mr. Addae stated that, among all other suggestions and security measures rolled out to address the issue, a non-Northerner as President is key to securing peace and ending the longstanding conflict.
The presidential hopeful, who condemned the renewed violence in the area, which has resulted in the loss of lives and property, blamed the two major political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), for leadership failures that have allowed the situation to escalate.
“Now, politically, but in my opinion, both the NPP and NDC should not present any Northerner as flagbearer to lead the two parties. I’m not doing any tribal politics here, but ideally, taking into account the Dagbon crisis, when former President J. A. Kufuor during his presidency teamed up with Asantehene Otumfuor Osei Tutu II, the situation calmed down.
“But with the ongoing Bawku issue, the counter-politics by the NPP and NDC over the years has yielded no results, considering the Northerners leading both parties. Therefore, I strongly believe that when a non-Northerner becomes president in the next election, we will get a permanent solution to the Bawku issue,” Odike added, reiterating his confidence in his suggestion during an interview with Saddick Adams on the Angel Morning Show on Monday, April 14, 2025.
He argued that the historical antecedents of leadership elections support his claim, adding that “If you critically analyze this ongoing subject, the conflicts escalate once a Northerner is either the Vice President or President.”
Odike emphasized his point but quickly clarified that he is not being ignorant, though he struggles to understand why the Bawku conflict often resurfaces whenever a Northerner holds either the Vice Presidency or Presidency.
He continued by proposing that the country should support Otumfuor Osei Tutu II in leading dialogue with appropriate stakeholders to restore peace and help the nation avoid wasting state resources on the matter.
