I don’t believe in ethnic politics -Mahama

President John Dramani stated at the weekend that he does not believe in the use of ethnic sentiments to garner votes in the forthcoming general elections.

He said: “Since I started working as a public servant, and as a politician, I have never believed in (ethnic) politics, since that is not enough to drag us out of poverty and illiteracy.”

President Mahama made this known when he addressed a rally at Saboba in the Northern Region, as part of his three-day campaign tour of the eastern parts of the area.

The President was apparently reacting to a rumour making the rounds that he, as a Gonja Head of State, would oppress Konkombas who had fought the Gonjas in the past.

President Mahama added: “If I had that power, I will rather use it to fight poverty, which is a common enemy, and not other ethnic groups in the country.”

“In all my dealings in Ghana, what I know is that if you bring out a Konkomba poor person and a Gonja poor person, there is no difference, and therefore, prefer that we fight poverty, illiteracy and diseases, and not these rumours that will not help our development,” he added.

He said it was based on underdevelopment, depravity, and poverty that the ruling National Democratic Congress implemented the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), which would provide a number of jobs, and stem the rural urban drift in the years to come.

President Mahama promised the people that SADA would support them with money as equity to kick-start the establishment of a rural bank, and advised them to buy shares in the financial entity to make it a sustainable venture.

The President promised that under the eastern corridor road project, streets in Saboba, Tatale, Chereponi and Zabzugu had been captured to relieve the people from the struggles they go through in travelling to other areas.

He said these development interventions would attract many more professionals to accept postings to Saboba and other communities.

On the December 7 polls, President Mahama said the government would put in place measures that would provide incident free elections, and make it acceptable and unique among her peers in Africa and beyond.

President Mahama announced that the government had attained equipment from Spain to fix the bridge on the Oti River, which separates Ghana from Togo.

Mr. Ken Ujangi, a member of the Konkomba Youth Association, on behalf of the chiefs and people of the Konkomba Traditional area, called on the government to increase infrastructure at the local E.P Senior High School.

He said the lack of banks in the area had, over the years, compelled workers to spend so many days getting to the urban areas to receive their salaries, and appealed to the President to encourage the establishment of local banking facilities. – GNA

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