President John Dramani Mahama and Akosua Manu
A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Team, Akosua Manu, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to sack the Mayor of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, over threats of physical assault on traders, which he made as part of plans of an ongoing decongestion exercise.
In an interview on ChannelOne News and monitored by GhanaWeb on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, the 2024 NPP Parliamentary Candiate for Adentan Constituency stated that physical assault must be condemned, as it departs from acceptable standards of governance.
“What I do not understand is that somebody put into a leadership role can’t stand in front of people to warn or to threaten them of physical assault.
“He assumed a position in two weeks, truth be told, he should have been the shortest serving appointee in this government. Upon hearing that he had repeated physical assault as a likely punishment to deter hawkers, the president should have called the Chief of Staff to withdraw him immediately,” she noted.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the Mayor announced that any trader found selling on restricted pavements or in the middle of roads at the Central Business District (CBD) will be subjected to instant corporal punishment.
“If anyone is caught trading in the middle of the road, they will be flogged publicly. We won’t waste time involving the police. I’ve adopted my own democratic-military style. When we say leave and you don’t, and my boys are with me there, we will beat you,” he stated.
JKB/AE
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