Speaking at a press conference ahead of the collation of results, Sammy Gyamfi advised party supporters to wait for due processes to be completed before jubilating.

“Until results are duly collated, declared at constituency collation centers, forms filled, signed by all party agents, and our agents receive their copies, there is no room for jubilation,” he stated.

He called on party executives at the branch, regional, and national levels to remain on high alert.

Gyamfi also warned that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) might attempt desperate measures to manipulate results.

“Until the very last vote is accounted for and declared, be vigilant. Take photographs of all signed documents as evidence. This is not the time for celebration. For now, work and remain vigilant,” he cautioned.

Before then, all the Kwahu communities had their traditions and annual festivals.

However, Easter was accepted and adopted by the communities when members understood the scriptures, got converted to Christianity and stopped consulting Atia Yaw, a traditional priest whose shrine was in Nkwatia Kwahu in the Kwahu East District.

The missionaries, who pitched camp at Kwahu Abetifi, also had to contend with deities such as Tigari, and history has it that there were several encounters between the missionaries and deities with their chief priests until Christianity became entrenched on the Kwahu ridge, and Easter, among other Christian festivities, became accepted by the larger society.

Since then (147 years ago), Easter has become synonymous with the Kwahus, and indigenes from both far and near make it a duty to return home during the period.

Why Easter was adopted

Delving into the adoption of Easter by the Kwahus, a retired teacher, Philip Asiama Opoku, popularly known as Professor Akasanoma, said the real name of Easter, according to the holy scriptures, is Passover.

“It is this same Passover that Jesus and his family partook in and on the eve of the death of Jesus Christ he ate the last supper with his disciples.

“Easter signifies that we are mourning Jesus Christ and Kwahus, by adopting it, are saying ‘we can hold a befitting funeral for Jesus’,” he told the Daily Graphic.

He recalled that even as a child, Kwahus marked Easter, which was referred to as the passion of Christ (Yesu Amanehunu), to wit ‘the suffering of Christ’.

“And we always said we were going to mark the suffering of Jesus Christ, so it is the funeral of Christ that we hold every year,” Mr Opoku stated.

Homecoming

The Chief of Obomeng, Od33fuo Nana Effah Opinamang III, however, said: “Easter is a period during which the indigenes, who have travelled, come home to support ongoing projects.

“There are not many jobs here so many citizens have travelled to other towns and cities to work so we urge them to come home this Easter period and support projects.”

Another reason for marking Easter on the Kwahu ridge, apart from merrymaking, is to afford people who have put up houses the opportunity to open them.

“It is an opportunity to know our citizens so that if there is a need for support in any developmental projects, we can fall on them,” he said.

Nonetheless, over the years, the Kwahu Easter festivities have come to be mostly associated with merrymaking, with many artistes flocking the ridge to perform at one concert or the other.

They have included Ghanaian musicians such as Kojo Antwi, Amakye Dede, Lord Kenya, Nana Tuffour, Ofori Amponsah, Slim Busterr, Kwabena Kwabena, Nana Agyeman, Batman, K. K. Fosu and Kofi Nti

Others are Daasebre Dwamena, Stone Bwoy, Kofi B, Guru, Pop Skinny, Castro, Nhyiraba Kojo, Kofi Kinata, Kuami Eugene, Shatta Wale, Bisa Kdei, Samini and Sarkodie, among other popular Ghanaian musicians.

History

Also recounting how the Kwahu Easter came into being, the Odikro of Demuni, Owusu Nyami, said: “History tells us that some time ago, Jesus and his family were going to their town for a census, which was a festival they attended regularly.

“So, we took something from that occurrence and the elders realised that our children who were scattered everywhere must also come home every year.

“For some people, if it were not for the annual festival, they would never come home so we chose this period for all our sons and daughters to come home.

If we come together like this, it makes people who hail from here get to know one another.”

He added that it gave people the chance to see indigenes who were visiting for the first time and expressed interest in marrying them, the opportunity to approach their families to seek their hand in marriage.

“It was gradual when it started – every year we visited so it was decided to institutionalise it.

During those times, whenever we gathered, we invited popular musicians then, such as C.K. Mann, so that we would not just come home but there would also be an aspect of entertainment.”

“In that way, whoever visited every year got the chance to meet family and old friends and also make merry and that is what has persisted till today.

So, when the occasion arrives, we tell all indigenes about developments home so that those who are doing well can support,” he added.

Projects

In terms of proposed and ongoing projects, Nana Opinamang III disclosed at the meeting with the Daily Graphic team that a new durbar ground had been proposed, work on which was yet to take off and asked sons and daughters to offer support when work started on it.

He said a kindergarten had also been established. “Obomeng stretches to Nkawkaw and Pankese and the villages under Obomeng are more than 16. We have set aside a plot of land for a police station at Wawase, and the community will join hands with the assembly to put it up to reduce crime rate,” he said.

Another plan is to build a new market at Abepotia to help all those who go to Akyem.

Urging cleanliness during the Easter festivities, Nana Opinamang stated: “If we are indeed the cleanest town then we are asking for an incinerator so that we can easily burn our waste and generate power.

We can do with some assistance from some non-governmental organisations and “Whoever cuts a tree should plant 10 in their place so that we preserve the environment.”

In spite of the advertisement of the Kwahu Easter being largely absent from the airwaves this year, indigenes, as well as guests, are sure to troop to the ridge this weekend, thus bringing about the legendary traffic jams on the entire stretch from Nkawkaw to Obomeng, the centre of all the celebration each year.

Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs of Parliament has described the Constitution Day celebration as a marketable event that needs to be observed.

According to Mr Banda Ben Abdallah, the celebration commemorates the power of the constitution, a foundation on which Ghana rules.

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“We celebrate this day because it is the Bible of the land; constitution which directs the affairs of the country on how presidents, parliamentarians are elected and how our judges of the Supreme and High Courts are appointed,” he explained.

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Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Tuesday, he urged Ghanaians to take the celebration serious.

“It is an important milestone which needs to be observed just as our Independence Day and Farmer’s Day,” he said.

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Mr Abdallah added the celebration of the Constitution Day was marked for January 7 because that is the day elected presidents are sworn in to climax elections in Ghana.

The two artistes in the past recorded a number of diss songs directed at each other.  

On Friday, Samini shared the cover art of the song titled ‘Celebration’ on his Instagram page, asking fans if the song should be dropped on the day.

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After numerous affirmative answers from fans, the ‘Linda’ hitmaker dropped the song on his YouTube page.

The theme for the celebration, DAILY GUIDE understands, is ‘restoring the values of probity, accountability and truth in contemporary politics’, even though the celebration appears to have lost momentum in recent times.

A 13-member local organising committee chaired by Alhaji Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, Member of Parliament for Wa Central, and comprising of party executives, United Cadres Front, 31st December Women’s Movement, young cadres, party communicators and youth groups, has been inaugurated to see to the successful organisation of the event, according to a statement issued by Saeed A. Faruk, a member of the publicity sub-committee for the event.

The statement indicated that the event is coming to Wa for the first time in the history of the movement.

The inaugural ceremony was witnessed by four key members of the central planning committee, namely Comrade Komla Nyaku, Dr Akwesi  Senanu Dzokoto,  Dr Donald Agumenu and Comrade Paul Boateng.

“Following the inauguration of the local organising committee, six sub-committees have been formed and assigned responsibilities geared towards making this year’s event an exceptionally historic one,” the statement stated.

June 4, 1979 was the day junior officers of the military, inspired by Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, who was himself ostensibly disconcerted with the impunity of the abuse of power showed their revulsion and rejection of the endemic corruption, ineptitude and nepotistic practices and attitudes in every sphere of the Ghanaian society.

Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings, the leader and founding father of the movement, along with key individuals associated with the June 4 tradition across the political divide, will be in Wa for the celebration. Expected also is the immediate past President John Dramani Mahama and some prominent members of the National Democratic Congress who will be there to grace the occasion, the statement said.