The Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari, has called for the arrest of Nuhu Mahama Akalbila, a popular building contractor and elder brother of the late Upper East Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Adams Akalbila Mahama.
The development, which took place Saturday, has triggered a hail of verbal attacks from some members of the party who already look to be strongly opposed to Mr. Bukari’s style of administration towards them. Mr. Nuhu was arrested after a near-brawl confrontation came up between him and the Regional Minister during a funeral at Gambibgo, a community in Bolgatanga- the regional capital.
The contractor and famous face of the NPP in the region was behind the counter at the Bolgatanga Municipal Police Station for some time and later taken to the office of the Police Commander for interrogations. Relatives, NPP executives, party supporters and members of the Holland Base (a well-known party fellowship centre where the late Adams often spent time) flooded the police station in the wake of the arrest.
“If a leader is now blowing people in the party, he doesn’t want to see party people, what would happen? If persuasion fails, force must apply. If he says he doesn’t want to see we the party people, we, too, won’t see eye to eye with him. So, what will happen will happen!
“We want Accra to hear about such a man they have brought here as a Regional Minister. He said he cannot work with some of us. Now, it has happened to my colleague. Tomorrow it will come to me. We want our party elders in Accra to know that the man they have given to us is not a correct man,” the Bolgatanga East Constituency Women’s Organiser, Gifty Ntaaga Ayomale, raved in front of newsmen as the crowd at the police station continued to swell.
Roots of the conflict
Mr. Nuhu is said to have whispered to his wife, when she visited him in detention Saturday, that his arrest was pushed by the minister’s burning old desire to pay back those who disregarded him whilst the NPP was in opposition.
He reportedly told his wife further that he had requested the Regional Minister some time ago to append his signature to some contract certificates for him but he refused and rather ridiculed him in the presence of senior staff at the Regional Coordinating Council.
Aide to the Regional Minister, Abubakar Ayimbila Atera, told Kasapa News Mr. Nuhu got it all wrong by turning the funeral ground into a battlefield against his boss.
“Recently, he (Mr. Nuhu) came to the RCC for minister to sign a contract certificate for him in the presence of coordinating director and other people. So, minister was cracking jokes. Minister then said, ‘You are my brother. Now, see where I am today. If I want to do due diligence on your contract certificates, maybe you would say I’m doing you wicked. But when I was lobbying to become the minister, you didn’t support me. And if I came to you in those days, you normally gave me only Gh¢20 for fuel. This time around, don’t do that again’. That was the statement. Then, they left, not knowing that Nuhu took it seriously.
“Today, we went to a funeral in the village, Gambibgo. We were greeting the old men when, all of a sudden, Nuhu just came insulting the Regional Minister, calling him neriyalgawa, neriyalgawa! Neriyalgawa in our local language (Gurune) means a useless person. Minister pretended he was not listening to him. Then, he came and stood in front of minister, saying, ‘I’m talking to you, Rockson. You’re a stupid man! You disgraced me in front of your coordinating directors. You are a useless man!’ He rushed to minister to beat him. We blocked him. And minister reported him to the police. That was what happened,” the aide said.
“I don’t see the reason why I should apologise”- Nuhu
The Regional Minister and Mr. Nuhu were said to have reconciled as of the time of filing this report, after the latter reportedly apologised for his open attack.
The Bolgatanga Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Samuel Punobyin, told Kasapa News: “Mr. Nuhu has been released. He has gone to Residency (the minister’s official house). He and the minister have embraced. They have smoked peace pipe. It has been solved.”
The minister’s special assistant (Mr. Atera) also confirmed the ceasefire, saying Mr. Nuhu, who is easily remembered as the supposed first man to own Hummer in the region, returned with a group of eminent contractors to the minister and rendered an apology.
“The family came and we went there. He said I should say I’m sorry and I said okay I’m sorry. We’ve settled the matter. I don’t want to go into details. I don’t see the reason why I should apologise but because it’s a family matter and we all want everything to go on calmly,” Mr. Nuhu told Kasapa News. – Edward Adeti