Gov't Blames Ga Chieftaincy Disputes For Libation Snub

Government has explained that the unsettled chieftaincy disputes in the Ga state is the major reason for prohibiting the Ga Dangbes from pouring libation during the celebration of Ghana�s independence at the Independence square. In the last three years, the nation�s birth has been celebrated in Accra without the recourse to the pouring of libation by the custodians of the land. The Ga Dangbe Youth Association have thus threatened to vote against the NDC in this year�s general elections for disregarding the Ga tradition at this year�s Independence Day celebration. However the Deputy Information minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa told Citi News that they got it all wrong. �The Ga Dangbe concern is a legit one but I think the question is more to do with who will do it. We are all aware that there are disputes within its people and if you are not careful when selecting a Wulomo, it will bring another issue of why this or that Wulomo was chosen. We just want to be responsible,� the information minister told Citi News He said government hoped that the disagreements within the Ga State will be solved quickly. Meanwhile, an elder statesman and former president of the Ga Dangbe Council, K.B Asante has said the government�s reasons for cancelling the pouring of libation are baseless. He said the deputy information minister was most mistaken because the pouring of libation had nothing to do with chieftaincy issues. If he [Okudzeto] knows Ga history, he would know that the Ga State is originally run by a theocratic government in which the Wulomo was a separate head from the chief,� he explained, �So it is not the chief that pours libation, it is the priest who is the Wulomo. If they [government] did not want the pouring of libation, they should just say so.�