The Communications Director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah says the decision of the Ghana Police Service to alter the routes for the Minority’s #OccupyBoG protest does not affect the essence of the protest. 

Mr Ahiagbah says the decision is appropriate as it will enable the police protect the Bank of Ghana and other state institutions from unforeseen incidents. 

Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews on Saturday, September 2, Mr Ahiagbah asked Ghanaians to discuss the issue dispassionately. 

However, he urged the police to be consistent and apply the same principles to other demonstrations in the future. 

“I think this conversation must be looked at dispassionately because I think the essential spirit of the demonstration is not hurt by the police asking them to change portions of their routes.”

“Now the decision of the demonstrators to say they want to go here or there and the position of the police saying that it might be a security zone and the Bank of Ghana headquarters is already a crowded place, we are beginning to see an instance that the police is trying to manage the crowed situation and to prevent unforeseen incidents from happening.”

The NDC MPs are seeking to march on Tuesday, September 5, from Makola, through Rawlings Park and Opera Square to the frontage of the Bank of Ghana.

The march is aimed at getting the Bank of Ghana Governor and his two deputies to resign from office due to the over GH¢60.8 billion losses the central bank recorded in 2022.

However, the police argue that the route is often overcrowded with human and vehicular traffic and thus going by that route could endanger public order, public safety and the running of essential services.

They had proposed an alternate route starting from the Parliament House through the Osu Cemetery Traffic Light to end at Independence Square, which the minority rejected.

An injunction filed by the police, which will be heard on September 4 is to prevent the Minority from using their preferred route.

Already, the Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has slammed the police for the move.

He described the police action as a “breach of trust” and expressed utter disappointment in their conduct.

“We received a letter on Wednesday from the Ghana Police Service accompanied by a bailiff from the Accra High Court who served a notice or motion for an order to prohibit our Bank of Ghana protest, and we must say that we are very disappointed with this development which is an attempt to scatter the protest which is intended to hold the Governor and his deputies accountable for their mismanagement of the bank which resulted in an unprecedented and colossal loss of GH¢60.8 billion, an amount which has had serious consequences on the economy and pushed close to one million Ghanaians into poverty.”

“And let us assure the people of Ghana that, as representatives, we will keep our sacred duty and we will uphold the public interest in line with our constitutionally guaranteed right to publicly protest, and we want to assure the people of Ghana that we have resolved to embark on this protest and nothing will stop us.”