Northern Youth Angry

A GROUP called the Concerned Northern Youth has expressed worry over comments by President John Mahama during his recent visit to the three northern regions. President Mahama and some top NDC members were quoted to have said northerners should vote for a northern president and not a northern vice president. At a press conference in Accra recently, the group described the president�s statement as unfortunate and hypocritical. Chairman of the group, Alhassa Alpha said his group was wondering whether this was the first time a northerner had stood as a presidential candidate, citing Dr Edward Mahama who stood in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. �At the time why didn�t Hon Dramani Mahama campaign or even ask northerners to vote for him since he is a northerner? Rather he campaigned for the NDC during those elections.� �Why didn�t the president campaign in 2008 to be elected as a northern vice? Why didn�t he campaign for Dr Edward Mahama since he wants a northern president? Is this not a clear case of double standards on the part of the president?� Alhassa asked. The group also expressed worry over President�s Mahama�s statement in Savilgo that the hostel facility for kayayei proposed by the NPP Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo was an insult to northerners. �The president�s comment can best be described as having no sympathy for the plight of those of us who as a result of poverty and lack of jobs in the north find ourselves in the southern sector doing all kinds of menial jobs.� �We live under very bad and deplorable conditions where we are left at the mercy of the weather and frequent fire outbreaks which mostly burn our belongings. We don�t consider Nana�s proposal as an insult,� he added. The group noted that if the NDC claimed the proposed free SHS program would churn out bad products, then President Mahama, a beneficiary of free secondary education was not fit to be the nation�s president. It called on youth in the north not to vote along tribal lines but based on good policies, programs and conviction.