The Chief of Bonkrom in the Ahafo Ano North District of the Ashanti Region, Nana Kwadwo Nsiah I, has condemned the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) attempt to disrupt the Minority Caucus’ farmers’ engagement event in his community, describing the incident as “unacceptable.”
Some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) allegedly plotted to spark chaos during the Minority Caucus’ engagement with cocoa farmers in the district.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, March 17, the second day of a scheduled interaction between farmers and NPP MPs led by Frank Annoh-Dompreh. It was part of an Ashanti regional tour assessing the impact of the cocoa price cut.
Local NDC officials had apparently scheduled a parallel meeting with the farmers for the same day at the same venue where the caucus was holding theirs, leading to a head-on clash and heightened tensions in the area.
The security personnel intervened to prevent NDC members from holding their event on the premises, ensuring peace and order were maintained.
The Minority Caucus arrived at the event to find the durbar grounds, where they were scheduled to meet farmers, heavily secured by police and immigration officers.
Bokromhene, Nana Kwadwo Nsiah I, confirmed the incident while addressing the minority members and the cocoa farmers.
He criticized the actions of the NDC members and their leadership, explaining that he had halted the event planned by the ruling party members because he had not been informed about it.
The chief stated that, alongside his elders, they are open to hosting any political party’s event in the community, but organizers must follow proper procedures.
“Today’s incident was unacceptable. As community leaders, my elders and I are not opposed to any party, including NDC. If you wish to organize an event, please approach us to discuss and schedule it properly. It’s essential to keep us informed before proceeding with any program.”
He disclosed that he had been officially informed about the minority’s meeting with the farmers and that the durbar grounds had been booked for the event approximately two weeks prior.
Farmers who witnessed the incident also spoke to Adom News, expressing concern about the NDC members’ intention to disrupt their meeting with the Members of Parliament from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
A cocoa farmer, Yaw Ofori, revealed that they initially planned to meet the minority caucus at Akwasiase to discuss the price cut concerns.
“Our MP initially told us that we would be meeting the NPP MPs at Akwasiase. However, we received information that supporters of the NDC were planning to disrupt the meeting, so we decided to change the venue to Bonkrom. Despite this change, they still tried to cause chaos and almost disrupted the program,” Yaw Ofori said.
“The Minority Caucus had already booked the durbar grounds for their engagement with us, but some NDC members attempted to use the same venue. After failing, they planned to hold their event opposite the grounds instead,” a cocoa farmer, Dapaah Eric, said.
The leadership of the caucus has not yet issued a response regarding the matter, and it remains unclear when an official statement will be made.
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