Some supporters of the opposition New Patriotic Party on Tuesday clashed with some demonstrators demanding an apology from the flagbearer of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over what they call “derogatory statements” made by some NPP Members of Parliament against Krobos.
The clashes occurred after NPP supporters and some constituency executives went to the Palace of the Paramount Chief of Manya Krobo to engage him in a meeting reported to be part of preparations toward the courtesy call on the Chief by Nana Akufo Addo while the demonstrators were also at the palace to present their petition to the Chief.
According to Starr FM’s Eastern regional correspondent Kojo Ansah, the NPP supporters physically prevented the leaders of the demonstrators from presenting their petition to the Chief while their executives were in a meeting with him.
This sparked confusion among the two groups but police personnel swiftly intervened to restore calm, directing the leaders of the demonstrators to later send a delegation to present their petition.
The Convener of the group Evans Srenyame Tetteh told Ansah that “we are a peace loving group, you realize that some of the NPP guys took over the palace with intention of blocking us from seeing the paramount chief, we will not want to have clashes with them, we have resolved that we are sending a delegation that will be protected by the police to present the petition to the traditional council.”
Hundreds of Krobo residents on Tuesday staged a massive demonstration demanding that the NPP presidential candidate render an unqualified apology to Krobos on behalf of the NPP members over their “series of derogatory statement made by Hon. Samuel Atta Akyea, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong and some high ranking members of the NPP against people of Krobo.
According to the Krobo Youth Network, organizers of the demonstration, Hon. Atta Akyea in February stated in an interview with the media that Krobos do not deserve a university adding that, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong and some leaders of NPP are reported to have insulted Krobo women describing them as prostitutes who only need Hotels in the area.
The demonstrators, clad in red headgear, red arm and hand bands, hoisted placards with several inscriptions conveying their sentiments.
A petition signed by Evans Srenyame Tetteh and Ebenezer Kwasi Kpabitey, convener and organizer respectively to the Paramount Chief of Manya Krobo, Nene Sackitey stated that “Your Highness, you will recall that somewhere in February 2016 this year, the Parliament of Ghana passed the Eastern region University bill into Law.
“The said bill sited the main campus of the proposed University at Somanya with Satelite Campuses in other parts of the country, Atta Akyea (MP, Abuakwa South) launched a scathing attack on this noble idea. He went further to state that “Krobos do not deserve a university.
“This did not go down well with us as a group and to all Krobos in general. We have since called on him and the leadership of NPP to apologise to us but to no avail”.
The statement further stated that, “as Nana Addo visits Krobo land today, we appeal to your Royal Highness to seek this apology on behalf of Krobo land.”
The group added: “We want to use the medium to remind Nana Akufo-Addo and his NPP that Krobos are not aliens in Eastern region and will thus not tolerate such irresponsible statements in the future”.
The group warned that they will react differently should the flagbearer of NPP fail to apologize.
“We are today marching peacefully in protest of Nana and his NPP’s irresponsibility but we may react differently if they fail to apologize to all Krobos in general.”
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