The Greater Accra Regional Executives of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) have rejected claims by the Novotel Market Traders Association that Nii Armah Ashitey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, is behind recent attacks by some NDC youth to prevent the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) from forcibly relocating the traders to the Odawna Market.
In a press statement last week, the NDC Regional Propaganda Secretary, Nii Dodoo, accused the traders of a conscious effort to create confusion among the regional executives, stressing that “the statement should be treated with the contempt it deserves”.
It would recalled that traders had earlier organised a press conference to chastise the regional minister for what they described as his subtle moves to undermine the efforts of the AMA to relocate the traders to the pedestrian shopping mall near Odawna.
The traders in the said media interaction criticized the minister for sowing seeds of division among the traders.
But, in the estimation of Nii Dodoo, what the minister sought to do was to help in finding a suitable place for the traders so as to end the long standing disagreement between the traders and the AMA.
“For anything, the minister should rather be commended for his effort to help the AMA to resolve the impasse amicably. He has an enviable record of helping to restore peace in Nima and Agbogbloshie since assuming office as minister.
….The minister offered an advice on the need to properly prepare the new market at Odawna to ensure the safety of the traders and their goods in attempting to curtail floods during raining season”, the statement added.
The statement, however, appealed to the traders to let bygones be bygones and adhere to the minister’s advice and eschew all acts of violence.
On that note, Nii Dodoo admonished the leaders of the association to discharge their duties with humility and desist from issues that could malign and target individuals within the NDC, adding that “the party will not sit unconcerned when names of its functionaries are dragged in the mud for parochial interest.”
STORY: ANTHONY KWESI COOMSON