There was a heated argument at the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) stores on Wednesday as some youth of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) attempted to retrieve some items allegedly belonging to the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE).
The move sparked resistance from supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), who indicated that the TMA is a public space; therefore, political party items should not be kept there; rather, they should have been kept in their party office.
Mr Godsway Franklin Kwaku Dzene, assemblyman for the Ashiboi Electoral Area, Tema Community One, said he received intelligence that some people were retrieving items from the TMA stores, so he rallied some assembly members to the place and confirmed it was true.
Mr Dzene added that they ordered the NPP youth to stop the act for them to confirm from the procurement manager, but suddenly, thugs from the NPP and the NDC rushed to the premises.
He said he quickly called the police to calm tempers, adding that he received a call from Mr Yohane Armah Ashitey, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), who confirmed that the items belong to the NPP.
“I told him if it’s for the party, he should have told assembly members to discuss before offloading because anything that is in the government’s warehouse belongs to the government,” he stressed.
He urged the MCE to call for a meeting with the assembly members, the coordinating director, and the procurement manager to confirm if the items belonged to the NPP instead of the government.
Mr Charles Amos, Assemblyman for Padmore Electoral Area, Tema Community One, called for calm following the incident and condemned the clash.
Mr Amos urged the youth to avoid actions that could lead to chaos, emphasising that while political differences were inevitable, they should not undermine the peace and stability of the community.
Mr Yohane Armah Ashitey, the MCE responding to the issue, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the assorted food items were kept at the TMA stores during the campaign period because the items arrived at midnight, hence the need to keep them at the stores.
Mr Ashitey said the waybill of the items was available to back his claim, stating that the procurement officer explained to the assembly members that the items were not for the assembly.
He said the assembly had its processes and procedures of doing things, and as such, nobody could take items belonging to the TMA, stating that the situation was brought under control with the help of the police.
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