Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, is advocating for a large-scale protest, like to the last demonstrations in Kenya, against the transfer of four SSNIT Hotels to Rock City, a business controlled by Bryan Acheampong, the Minister of Food and Agriculture.
In a social media post on Wednesday, June 26, Mr. Ablakwa referred to these incidents. He chastised President Akufo-Addo for not stopping the sale of SSNIT hotels after earlier in the week meeting with organized labor.
Declaring that it’s time for Ghanaians to start their version of Kenya’s recent protests, he said that President Akufo-Addo is the “chief architect” behind this contentious agreement.
Mr. Ablakwa advised Ghanaians to keep an eye out for an important announcement about plans for a sizable rally coming shortly.
“President Akufo-Addo refused to stop the sale of our SSNIT hotels when he met organized labor yesterday [Tuesday].”
“Akufo-Addo’s appointed SSNIT board chair, Elizabeth Ohene is also boldly justifying the stinky deal despite overwhelming opposition from Ghanaians and the protest of labor reps on her board.”
“It’s now confirmed beyond any scintilla of doubt — President Akufo-Addo is the chief architect of all the putrefying State Capture. It’s time to declare our own version of what just happened in Kenya,” he posted.
In Kenya, widespread youth protests recently forced the government to withdraw a finance bill that included contentious tax increases.
The demonstrations escalated dramatically, culminating in the burning of cars and a portion of parliament on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Several protesters were reportedly killed by the police, with many others wounded.
The Kenyan president, William Ruto, who had vowed to crack down on the protesters, subsequently reversed his stance and withdrew the tax plan.