President John Dramani Mahama has affirmed Asigri Abugrago Asoka II as the lawful chief of Bawku in line with Ghana’s laws.
Addressing the protracted Bawku chieftaincy crisis that has destroyed public and private property and claimed numerous lives, President Mahama said the mediation process initially sought a traditional settlement between the feuding parties but ultimately had to defer to the law.
He disclosed that while mediation efforts were underway, violence persisted in the area, resulting in significant casualties.
“While the mediation was ongoing, there was violence, killings. It’s estimated about 119 people lost their lives in the period of the mediation,” he stated.
According to the President, the mediation was designed to achieve a customary resolution similar to approaches used in the past.
“The mediation process was meant to work to find a traditional resolution to the conflict,” he explained. “The thinking was that we could get the parties to the conflict to, in a traditional manner as was done in the past, find a way to accommodate each other.”
However, he noted that the anticipated compromise did not materialise. “Unfortunately, I think that didn’t happen,” Mahama said, adding that once consensus failed, the mediator had to rely strictly on the legal framework governing chieftaincy matters.
“And once it didn’t happen, then the mediator had no option but to revert to what the law says,” he stressed. “His report basically stated what the lawful position was.”
President Mahama underscored his constitutional duty in enforcing the outcome.
“I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Ghana,” he said. “So I cannot be sentimental in terms of implementing the law.”
He maintained that the legal position is clear.
“Everybody knows what the law states, that the truly gazetted chief of Bawku is Na Abugrago Asoka,” he declared, affirming Asigri Abugrago Asoka II as the recognised authority.
