By Grace Zigah
A fierce political and ethnic storm is brewing in the Asante Mampong Municipality following the nomination of Yakubu Issifu as Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) by President John Dramani Mahama.
The nomination, officially communicated on June 16, 2025, by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama, has triggered sharp protests from the public, who were recorded declaring that “no Ashanti will be allowed to become MCE of Mampong.”
The remarks—widely circulated through local media and social platforms—have ignited widespread condemnation, with the late Paramount Chief of Mampong (Mamponghene), Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, reportedly issuing a stern ultimatum to the NDC to withdraw and publicly apologize for what he described as “an insult to the dignity of Asanteman.”
Presidential Nomination Sparks Deep Ethnic Divisions
According to a leaked letter from the Office of the President, dated June 16, 2025, and addressed to the Ministry of Local Government, the President nominated two individuals for approval by their respective District Assemblies in the Ashanti region. All the nominees are of norther extractions: Ibrahim Issahaq for Atwima Mponua and Yakubu Issifu for Asante Mampong, displacing a native from Mampong.
While such nominations are standard constitutional procedure under Article 243 of the 1992 Constitution and the Local Governance Act 2016 (Act 936), the decision to nominate Yakubu Issifu for the Mampong post has been met with vehement opposition—not necessarily for administrative reasons, but over tribal and regional sentiments.
Some NDC supporters, in their protest, reportedly claimed that an “Ashanti” should never be appointed as MCE in Mampong, framing the nomination as a move that would dilute the dominance of non-Akan voices within the local NDC structure.
The statement was perceived as inflammatory, especially in a region known as the traditional seat of the Asante Kingdom and a political stronghold of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Traditional Authorities Demand Apology
The late Mamponghene, Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, a respected statesman and custodian of Asante heritage, swiftly responded to the anti-Ashanti comments before his passing.
Addressing a presser, the late Chief issued a 24-hour ultimatum, demanding a public retraction of the statements and a formal apology to the people of Asanteman.
“We will show our power if this disrespect continues,” the Mamponghene is quoted to have said.
“No one—political or otherwise—will be allowed to make divisive tribal utterances on our sacred land.”
Though his death shortly afterward has cast a shadow over the matter, his position has been echoed by other traditional authorities and opinion leaders in the Ashanti Region.
NDC Faces Internal Crisis and Public Image Fallout
The development has placed the NDC in an awkward position as it grapples with accusations of tribalism, particularly damaging in a region where the party has historically struggled to gain electoral ground.
President Mahama himself has come under fire, with critics accusing him of either endorsing or failing to adequately condemn such ethnically charged rhetoric.
Some members of the Ashanti diaspora have taken to social media to demand a presidential statement disavowing the comments and reaffirming a commitment to national unity.
Despite the backlash, defenders of the nomination argue that Yakubu Issifu is highly qualified for the role and that the constitution does not require that a nominee must hail from the ethnic majority in the area of appointment.
