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The presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has lamented that the despicable manner in which the Upper East Regional Chairman of the party, Mr. Adams Mahama Akabila, was killed last week could frighten many people from contributing to the building of Ghana, because they would now see that there is danger in political life.

“When a man like Adams Mahama is taken out like the way that he has been taken out, it can frighten others who have something to contribute to the public life of our country that there is danger in political life. There shouldn’t be danger. Political life should attract the best and the brightest, so that our nation, at all times, will have the best of its people in charge of its affairs, so that they can develop it.”

Two men, last week Wednesday, attacked Mr. Adams and poured a quantity of acid on him. He was rushed to the Upper East Regional Hospital, but died on Thursday morning.  His death brought Bolgatanga to a standstill, as hundreds of residents trooped to the hospital to catch a glimpse of his body, while those who were in a state of denial wanted to see things for themselves.

One of his attackers, Gregory Afoko, a younger brother of the NPP National Chairman, Paul Afoko, has since been arrested and transferred from Bolgatanga to Accra, where he would be interrogated further. His accomplice was still on the run, but the police have vowed to get him.

At the burial of the late Chairman in Bolgatanga, Nana Akufo-Addo expressed his deepest condolence to the bereaved family and promised the party would stand behind them in these difficult moments.  “The wife and the children, the loss and premature departure of Adams Mahama does not mean that you are now destitute and thrown out of the streets. You are part of the family that is going to stand besides you and make sure you are not in want or in need.

Those who have to be educated, we will ensure that their education continues,” he pledged.  He noted that Adams was passionate about the victory of the NPP next year, and saw his death as somebody who was giving his life in that struggle. He, therefore, urged members and sympathisers of the NPP to rededicate their commitment and determination, through all legitimate means, to prosecute their agenda of winning the 2016 elections from where the late chairman left.

“Adams Mahama is a matter of the NPP, and we will recognise and remember him as such. It is the time in our party when we should all stand together and ensure that what differences there are between us, and there would be differences; we are not robots, we are human beings and whatever differences there are between us, we find a way to resolve those differences as intelligent, civilised people by our arguments and not by force,” he said.

Describing the late chairman as an exceptional man, Nana Akufo-Addo said he was dependable and always helpful, and as a result, reinvigorated the NPP in the Upper East Region by making penetrations in the politics of the region. He encouraged the executive and members of the party in the region to be strong so that they can continue from where Adams left.

He proposed that the 21st of May, the death date of the late Adams, be set aside annually as a special day in the history of the NPP, and indeed, of our nation at large. “We should learn from what has happened. Violence cannot be the way to resolve political disputes in our country. Ghanaian democracy has no room for violence; and this despicable, dastardly act that has taken place has been blood, not on our party, but also on our nation’s democracy.

We have, as a people, turned our backs on the use of force to resolve political issues, but what happened on 21st (May) has taken us back. We don’t want to go back, we want to go forward, and we will use this day always to remind ourselves violence has no place in our democracy. The day also reminds us, a political competition is a competition of ideas, and that is what it has to be.”

He said the NPP has stood for ideas, even in the early difficult days, and stressed the need for that position to still be upheld by all. On his part, the Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, described as horrendous the circumstance that led to the death of Mr. Adams, and called on the security agencies to do all it takes to bring the perpetrators to book, so that it would mark a watershed in the annals of Ghana’s history.

A family elder of the deceased and former Municipal Chief Executive for Bolgatanga in the Kufuor era, Mr. Rockson Bukari, recounted that Mr. Adams sacrificed his life, his money and time to fight for the NPP, but unfortunately, some aliens who have come into the party and did not want him to succeed cost him his life.

He appealed to the police to give the deceased justice by bringing to book, those who murdered him. He also appealed to the Nana Addo and the elders of the party to ensure that those who had come into the party, and now wanted to undermine others, were booted out. Regional chairmen of the NPP were present.

Speaking in tears on behalf of his colleagues, the Volta Regional Chairman, Mr. John Amewu, said they the regional chairmen had lost a motivator and inspirer who also told them nothing could harm any of them, and that they would deliver victory in 2016.  He said the death of their colleague was hard to take, but encouraged his colleagues to team up to ensure they lead the NPP to victory next year, and dedicated it to Mr. Adams.

Mr. James Zuuga Tiigah, Upper East Regional Minister, and his deputy, Mr. Daniel Syme, and some government appointees were also present. Mr. Tiigah asked for calm in the region and in nation, so that the security agencies would be able to do their work properly to find justice for the deceased.

Many of the NPP stalwarts attended the burial ceremony. Some of them included; vice presidential candidate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Peter Mc Manu, Stanley Adjiri Blankson, Otiko Djaba, Fred Oware, and Ursula Owusu-Ekuful. The rest were Dominic Nitiwul, John Boadu, Anthony Karboo, Ambrose Dery, Owusu Afriyie, Joe Ghartey, Fredie Blay and Kennedy Agyepong.

Meanwhile, the National Chairman, Paul Afoko, and General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong were not present. Earlier, some youth of the NPP in Bolgatanga threatened that should the two appear at the burial ceremony, they would be dealt with.

Throughout the ceremony, the youth carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Afoko, produce the other culprit’, ‘Selfish Afoko, Afoko and Kwabena, God will judge you’, ‘We will move forward minus Afoko, and Afoko’, ‘We don’t need you in Upper East.’ Thursday May 28 was fixed as the day for the one week Islamic prayer (Aduah) to be held in Accra’ and 7th June marked as the 40 days Aduah to be held in Bolgatanga.

The late chairman left behind a wife and four children.