Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Anyaa Sowutuom, Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, has dismissed suggestions that raising concerns about the Bawku conflict in relation to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) electoral performance amounts to tribalism or religious bias.
Contributing to discussions on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Tuesday, August 26, which was monitored by Ghanaian RADAR, Dr. Adomako Kissi insisted that being candid with facts and figures should not be misconstrued as ethnic or sectarian attacks.
“Being candid and frank with data is not a sin. When you speak to data, you are not being tribalistic, and the religious thing didn’t matter here,” he stated. His comments follow the circulation of a controversial video in which NPP presidential hopeful, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, referenced the Bawku conflict while assessing the party’s electoral challenges in the area.
The video has since drawn sharp criticism, with the Northern NPP Concerned Youth Group accusing Dr. Acheampong of fueling “ethnic bigotry” with divisive rhetoric. Dr. Adomako Kissi, however, suggested that the video may have been misunderstood or misrepresented, stressing that Dr. Acheampong had made a broader point that if the party’s flag-bearer had come from a religious or ethnic group not tied to the Bawku conflict, the political outcome might have been different.
“This issue is very touchy, but I think it is misinformation either to Dr. Bawumia or a misunderstanding by virtue of the people who channelled the message to him,” he noted. Dr. Adomako Kissi added that the NPP must separate honest, data-driven analysis from ethnic or religious interpretations if it hopes to make realistic gains in future elections.
Story By: Alfred Asamoah
