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Renaming Tamale Airport after Yakubu Tali unacceptable – Ya-Na to Akufo-Addo
Ya-Na Abukari Mahama II, the Overlord of the Dagbon Traditional Area, has urged President Akufo-Addo to reconsider his decision to rename the Tamale International Airport as Yakubu Tali International Airport.
The president in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Tuesday, February 27, disclosed that there are plans in place to rename the Kumasi International Airport and the Tamale Airport to Nana Agyeman Prempeh I International Airport and Yakubu Tali International Airport respectively.
But the Dagbon overlord, in his letter to the president, said it “is an unacceptable idea to me and the majority of citizens of Dagbon.”
Ya-Na Abukari II added that the “Gbewaa Palace has been inundated with calls and other forms of communications pleading that this proposal be shelved.”
He further stated that ”it is the considered opinion of many people and traditional leaders in the region that such recognition is bestowed on Na Gbewaa.”
Below is Ya-Na Abukari II’s full letter.
I bring you fraternal royal greetings from the Gbewaa Palace, with fervent hope and prayer that you are in good health and high spirit. I would like to draw your attention to your wish to rename the Tamale International Airport as Yakubu Tali International Airport.
This is an unacceptable idea to me and the majority of citizens of Dagbon. The renaming of Tamale International Airport after Tolon Naa Yakubu will be contentious and counterproductive. It will draw our traditional state and the entire Northern Region into needless controversy.
As the Yo-Na Abukari VII, I personally and voluntarily released the substantial lands covering the entire expansion areas of the airport to the government of Ghana to undertake this important infrastructural development.
Since this proposal was announced, the Gbewaa Palace has been inundated with calls and other forms of communications pleading that this proposal be shelved. It is the considered opinion of many people and traditional leaders in the region that such recognition is bestowed on Na Gbewaa.
Accept my compliments of the highest consideration.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
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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
