Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Adentan, Akosua Manu, has strongly condemned Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi over his recent comments threatening physical confrontations against traders operating on pavements.
Speaking during a discussion on Channel One TV, Mrs. Manu described the Mayor’s remarks as reckless and a recipe for chaos and lawlessness, calling for his immediate removal from office.
“What I do not understand is that someone entrusted with leadership can stand before people and threaten physical assault as a means of enforcement. And I was even more shocked to learn that when he was contacted, he reiterated that same position,” she said.
Mrs. Manu argued that the Mayor’s endorsement of violence should not only earn him a formal reprimand but should also cost him his position, as it undermines the values of democratic governance.
“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 remove him from office. In no way should such conduct be tolerated in our governance system,” she stressed.
She further maintained that a government committed to the rule of law and nonviolence cannot entertain such rhetoric from its appointees.
“For reiterating that point, I am saying by now if it was Nana Akufo-Addo’s government, the KMA Mayor would have been withdrawn, and a new person appointed. There is no justification for making such statements,” she added.
Mrs. Manu also warned that allowing the Mayor’s comments to go unchecked could set a dangerous precedent, encouraging other municipal authorities to adopt similar approaches, potentially leading to widespread disorder.
“He is creating an avenue for chaos. If this becomes the template — the Kumasi Mayor does it, then the Accra Mayor follows, and Tamale too — the whole system breaks down. If his task force will do the work, it has to be in a very civil and humane way. Nobody should be beaten,” she cautioned.