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The Oguaa Traditional Council has announced that the ban on drumming and noise-making in the Cape Coast area, which was imposed as part of the preparations for the Fetu Afahye festival, will be lifted on Friday, August 12.

The lifting of the ban comes just two days before the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s scheduled campaign launch at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium on Sunday. There had been reports that the governing party was mulling over possibly postponing the campaign launch due to the ban.

The PPP had also expressed some reservations about why the NDC had been permitted to launch the campaign in the area in spite of the ban, accusing the Oguaa traditional leaders of discrimination.

However, this development paves way for the NDC to go ahead with the event as planned.

A statement from the Council and signed by the chairman of the 2016 Afahye Planning Committee, Nana Kow Amoasi III said the decision to lift the ban had been taken by the “President, Omanhen of the Oguaa Traditional Council, Nanano, Supifo, Akomfo and other stakeholders.”

The statements added that the ban on funerals remains in place.

NDC to launch campaign

Director of Communications for the NDC’s 2016 Campaign, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, said earlier that it was in the interest of the party to organize the event in the Central Region.

“There is some nostalgia, there is some love for the Central Region, there is a good reason why we believe that this time, it is in our interest to launch in the Central Region and that is exactly what we intend to do,” she said on Eyewitness News on Monday.

According to her, the launch of the campaign in the region, where John Evans Attah Mills hailed from, would be a fitting tribute to the late President, 4 years after his passing.

She denied however that his influence in the region prior to his demise was being exploited by the party for political gain.

“You know really well that there is really no such exploitation. Don’t forget that we will be doing several activities in several other parts of the country. We are a social democratic party, we like to do things from any part of Ghana and we are not even barred from holding any such activity in any part of this country. So I don’t think that there is anything to do in terms of exploitation. We just believe that this time round, strategically, for us the plan is to officially launch in the Central Region and several other activities will be taking place as we go along,” she said.