The Aowin Constituency Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mahama Sarni, along with the party’s constituency executive body, is calling on the regional and national leadership of the NDC to urgently intervene in the ongoing standoff between the Aowin Traditional Council and the Member of Parliament for the area, Oscar Ofori Larbi.
The dispute, which has persisted for several months, reportedly stems from allegations made by the MP during a media interview, in which he suggested that members of the Aowin Traditional Council were involved in illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. The remarks sparked outrage among the traditional authorities, who subsequently barred the MP from operating on their land.
According to Chairman Sarni, numerous mediation efforts involving local party executives, respected personalities from Aowin, the Western North Regional Security Council, the Local Council of Churches in Enchi, the Enchi Nzongo Caucus of the NDC, the Brosa Community in Accra, Muslim leaders in Enchi, and even some neighbouring traditional rulers, have all failed to resolve the conflict.
In a further attempt at reconciliation, Ofori Larbi, accompanied by the Aowin Municipal Chief Executive, Stephen Morcher, visited the traditional council to offer an apology. However, the council rejected the apology.
Chairman Sarni warned that the continued impasse poses a serious threat to the NDC’s political standing in the constituency, as well as the broader stability of Ghana’s democratic institutions.
“The actions of the traditional council not only endanger the electoral prospects of the NDC in Aowin but also set a dangerous precedent for Ghana’s democratic governance,” he stated.
Sarni appealed to the national leadership of the party to step in immediately to help restore peace and allow the MP to carry out his constitutional mandate in the constituency.
The Aowin Traditional Council has yet to publicly respond to the renewed calls for dialogue.
