About a decade ago, the entire country was thrown into a state of shock following the gruesome murder of the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II.
That despicable act has deepened division in the Dagbon State, making it difficult for even blood relations to see eye to eye with one another.
The Dagbon chieftaincy dispute is not only about blood relations; it has also affected development processes in the area, once considered a very vibrant economic zone in northern Ghana.
Yendi, the capital of the Dagbon State, was once a very vibrant commercial town, where people earned their upkeep from trading and intense agricultural activities.
It must be explained that although there is a raging chieftaincy dispute in Dagbon, there is a semblance of peace in the area. Dagbon is not a war zone.
But peace is not just the absence of war. There may be no war, but if the people harbour ill-feelings against one another because of perceived disagreements, then there will be no progress in that society.
We recall that when the eminent chief died, certain people were arrested after the Wuaku Commission Report had been released, but those arrested were set free by a court.
Again, in 2010, the High Court discharged certain people who were alleged to have murdered the chief.
Besides the legal steps taken to bring the perpetrators to book, there were quiet mediation moves by prominent chiefs to bring the factions in dispute together to bury the hatchet.
Unfortunately, the moves have yielded very few results, to the extent that the Andani and Abudu gates who are said to be blood relations do not want to come to a compromise to ensure the peace and progress of the Dagbon State.
Despite the protracted nature of the conflict in Dagbon, we think that public-spirited people should not give up on the people but intensify moves to restore peace to the area.
It is in this vein that the Daily Graphic encourages President Mahama to continue with his mediation moves to resolve the Dagbon chieftaincy dispute.
The need for peace in Dagbon is not only to provide the enabling environment for chiefs to exercise control over the people but also create the peaceful environment for social engagements.
Since the conflict, the local economy in Dagbon and especially Yendi has collapsed or taken a nosedive.
We have a collective responsibility to bring lasting peace to this one-time powerful and influential chiefdom in the entire country.
The Daily Graphic once again appeals to all the people to throw their weight behind efforts by the government to bring the factions in the Dagbon dispute to the negotiation table.
We also think that it has been quiet on the front of the three Eminent Chiefs put together to resolve the dispute using our traditional, time-tested way of maintaining peace in society.
The three chiefs should continue with their mediation efforts, even in the face of the factions taking entrenched positions, in the hope that in the not-too-distant future there will be peace in the area.
Dagbon needs peace to be part of the efforts of the government to send development to all parts of the country.
We appeal to the factions to give peace a chance by returning to the negotiation table to resolve their differences.
