NDC Chases BoG Governor’s Shadow

Members of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) yesterday laboured in vain as they failed to present an ‘eviction’ petition to the Bank of Ghana (BoG) Governor Dr. Ernest Addison.

Dr. Addison apparently avoided the marauding members of the minority caucus and their party gurus in what was expected to be a showdown between the central bank governor and the leading opposition party.

Minority leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson had stated that until they presented the petition to the BoG Governor himself, they were not leaving the premises of the central bank.

However, they were apparently left chasing the shadows of Dr. Addison as he left them in the hot sun to be at a crucial meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“I together with the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) minority in parliament must be allowed to walk to the central bank to present a petition that should be received by the governor himself, he must be the one to receive our petition and (we) won’t just hand-over to him, we will read it to his hearing and we demand his exit today,” Dr. Ato Forson stated before the group stated its demonstration.

Dr. Ato Forson further said if the governor failed to step out to receive their petition, they would stay at the premises of the Bank.

“We will not leave there until he (Dr. Ernest Addison) receives the petition, we will stay there (at the BoG) till thy kingdom come, he must be the one to receive the petition,” he reiterated.

According to him, they were not giving the petition to any other person as they were not protesting against BoG staff but against the conduct of the governor, hence, he must be personally present to receive the document.

But the minority leader indicated at post demonstration gathering that they only met a security man at the gate of the BoG who was assigned to receive the petition.

“Governor Addison has decided to disrespect us with the excuse that he is meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) when he could have given us 10 minutes of his time,” he told the demonstrators.

Dr Ato Forson said their petition contained more than just the resignation of BoG leadership “So the Governor sending security officers to receive our petition is disrespectful.”

According to him, there will be a series of actions against Dr Addison if he failed to resigned by the close of work yesterday.

Reason for demo

Organizers of the demonstration, led by Minority MPs, NDC gurus and other groups, are calling for the resignation of Dr. Addison and his two deputies over a loss of GH¢60.8 billion in the 2022 financial year.

The protest, initially slated for September 12, 2023, was postponed to October 3, 2023, due to the failure of the police to mark out safe zones for the demonstration.

Meanwhile, NDC gurus including the National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah and General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey took the opportunity to descend heavily on President Nana Akufo-Addo and government for what they described as their incompetence in managing the Ghanaian economy.

The demonstration

The Ghana Police Service had indicated that “the demonstrators will converge on the Obra Spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and proceed to Adabraka-Ridge Roundabout-National Theatre Traffic Light-High Court Complex Traffic Light-Atta Mills Highway and make a U-Turn at the National Lotteries and terminate at the Independence Square.

“The road from the Independence Square in front of the National Lotteries towards the Old Parliament Traffic Light will be blocked temporarily to vehicular traffic during the course of the demonstration.

“The blocked roads will be diverted through the Starlet Traffic Light through the Ministries Traffic Light to pass in front of the Office of the Department of Urban Roads(DUR), through National Lotteries, to link up with the AMA Office Road to EOCO and take detour back to the John Atta Mills Highway at the old Parliament Traffic Light intersection,” the policed indicated in a statement. Demonstrators were also admonished to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner before, during, and after the process.