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Homowo climax: Otublohum Dadeban Naa calls for unity and progress
• Nii Adjabeng Ankrah II sprinkling kpokpoi
The Otublohum Dadeban Naa, a traditional division of the Ga State in the Greater Accra Region has marked this year’s Homowo in unity under the auspices of the Supreme Head of MantseAnkrah Royal Family, Nii Adjabeng Ankrah II.
As part of Ga Mashie Homowo celebration, all the seven divisions of Ga Mashie comprising Otublohum, Asere, Gbese, Abola, Sempe, Akumajean and Ngleshie Alata also known as Jamestown marked the festival last Saturday to jointly “hoot at hunger”which means Homowo in the Ga language.
Homowo is a festival celebrated by the Gas who in their quest for harmonious location, died of hunger on their way from Israel, Egypt, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo until they reached their final destination “Akra” popularly known as Accra.
NiiAdjabenAnkrah II said that peace was an important element for the progress of the Ga State, and for the indigenes to live as one people with a common agenda for both human and infrastructural development.
He sprinkled “kpokpoi” a traditional meal used for celebrating the festival on the streets of Ga Mashieto acknowledge the dead who fought for stability and peace.
Nii Adjabeng Ankrah II led another sprinkling of “kpokpoi” at the Mantse Ankrah Royal Mausoleum of Otublohum Dadeban-Naa which recently received a facelift at North Kaneshie, Accra.
The principal streets of North and South Industrial areas in Accra which belong to Otublohumwere also sprinkled with “kpokpoi” as custom demanded.
Nii Adjabeng Ankrah II, who would mark his sixth anniversary in November 2022 on the stool has been phenomenal in settling disputes, among others.
Diplomats, tourists and people from all walks of life were present to witness the Otublohum Dadeban-Naa Homowo 2022 celebration.
Principal Elder of Mantse Ankrah Royal Family, MrNiiAyiAnkrah, told the public not to associate the celebration of Homowo with diabolic meanings because it was a tradition to be cherished by generations.
“We need to hold onto our culture in order to see a progressive Ga State because the Ga people have rich cultural norms that need to be cherished and preserved,” he said.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
