<<Print>>

The King of the Gonja Traditional Council, Yagbonwura Tutumba Boresa I, has rendered an apology to the 2012 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, for the lie that was told by an unidentified young man and subsequently propagated in sections of the media by members of the NDC that Nana Akufo-Addo urinated on a mosque when he last visited the Yagbonwura in his palace a few months ago. Welcoming Nana Addo and his running mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to his palace on Monday, the Yagbonwura expressed regrets for the lies that had been told in the media because he knew Nana Addo did not urinate on any mosque when he came to his palace a few months ago. The Yagbonwura noted, �I was even worried that Nana Akufo-Addo might not visit my palace again because of the unfortunate propaganda that has been put out there by mischievous characters seeking to destroy his name.� He said he was happy that Nana Addo had called on him in his palace in spite of the unfortunate incident. In response, Nana Akufo-Addo assured the Yagbonwura and the people of Damongo that he was not in the least worried about the lies that his detractors were telling in the media �because the King and his people know that I did not urinate on a mosque and I will never do that.� Nana Addo also thanked the Yagbonwura for speaking openly about the matter and setting the facts right when the matter broke. �Yagbonwura issued a statement denying that the said incident never occurred and warned all seeking to tarnish my name as well as that of the traditional council to be careful.� �You spoke like an elder and I thank you for what you did,� Nana Addo said. The NPP leader and his running mate are in the Northern Region on their nationwide tour to restore hope. On Monday, they toured the Damongo/Daboya constituency, visiting areas such as Busunu, Damongo and Laribanga. The Northern Regional Secretary of the NPP, Dr. Clifford Braimah, told the GNA that the tour had also taken the team, which included the MP for Okere, Dan Botwe and M.N.D Jawula, to Tuluwe, Sheri, Kusuwgu and Yapei, all in the Central Gonja district. The Yagbonwura said Nana Addo had been telling the people about the economy, which had been poorly managed by the NDC government, and therefore the need for the NPP to restore hope by re-engineering the economy to create more jobs for the people. Nana Addo indicated that the current joblessness was due to the fact that the economy was not properly managed and could not create more jobs, hence the need to redirect it. He explained that the NPP was committed to the free Senior High School system, noting that the state currently spent about 6% of the GDP on education. He said the NPP would spend 10% of the GDP on education, which would ensure that the free SHS was implemented, stressing that Uganda had a lower per capital income than Ghana yet it was implementing free SHS. The tour, which is expected to end on the 25th of May, would also take them to Salaga, Wulensi, Kpandai. They would later hold a youth forum in Tamale, as well as meet some professional bodies. The tour would continue to the Upper East after the tour of the Northern Region.