The Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Daffour has openly displayed his dislike, following his withering attack on the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Kwahu West Municipal Assembly, Lawyer Yaw Owusu Addo, ostensibly to ensure his downfall and cause his removal from office.
The Regional Minister, in an exclusive audio recording in the possession of this paper, has been inciting drivers and residents in the Municipality to demonstrate massively against the MCE, and even heard coaching residents, especially drivers on how to plan their action irrespective of police interferences.
The audio, which appears to be a telephone conversation the Minister had with one Yaw Beremah, believed to be one of the advocates for the drivers, the Minister made it clear to them that he was not part of the decision to erect a barrier at Nkawkaw and said, “I called them but they said they would not stop…”
According to Regional Minister, there was every reason for the drivers to demonstrate against the MCE for refusing to rescind the decision of erecting the barrier at Nkawkaw.
The Regional Minister also told the drivers that demonstration was their constitutional right and that they were at liberty to demonstrate after notifying the police five days to the day of the demonstration.
“Demonstration is Constitutional. So if you notify them on the necessary five days; they are not supposed to even come there,” he said.
“I told you people to organize the drivers and embark on a sit-down strike. Demonstrations take different forms. What I want you to do is to park your cars for three to four days along the major roads; you can start from the new station and some from the Beposso road. Just put business in the town to a standstill and you will get response,” he incited them.
Hon. Eric Kwakye Daffour also told the group to begin their demonstration at 5 O’clock in the morning, and that if they were able to go by his instructions and plans, “They will call you at the Jubilee house,” he assured.
He also expressed surprise at the police for refusing to grant permit for the demonstrators, hence the new scheme to incite them to embark on a sit-down strike and putting business activities under stress.
“No police will come to arrest you. Even the Police surprised me,” he indicated.
However, in another tape recording intercepted by this paper, the Regional Minister, addressing some officials at the assembly after the demonstration had been done, denied having any conversation with Yaw Beremah to plot how they could have their demonstration against the MCE.
“Look, this man we are talking about, I haven’t seen him before, the MCE hasn’t seen him, yet he can come to the community and knock our heads at each other,” he said.
He claimed residents have allowed themselves to be used by the said Yaw Beremah, stressing that “We have a municipality to build so if we do not stop all these petty considerations, it will affect us moving forward. We must all learn from this.”
The Regional Minister who many people in the Municipality think was playing on their intelligence, also claimed not to have ever spoken to Yaw Beremah and asked the people to “Let bygones be bygones.”
Meanwhile, when this paper contacted the Regional Minister for his response to the story, he asked the Journalist to drop the story and that he was not ready to comment.
“Drop it, drop it. I am not going to comment,” he said.
