Some Assembly members and traders at the Kotokuraba Market in Cape Coast in the Central region are protesting what they describe as the unfair distribution of market stalls there.
According to them, the stalls have been given to family and friends of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) whiles names of the original occupants have been deleted.
Former President John Mahama in November 2016 inaugurated the newly built Kotokuraba Market, which has several shops, a bank, hospital and a school.
It also has an office block, a parking lot, eatery, a fire department, offices, a drainage system and walkways, to ensure the free movement of traders and customers.
Work on the project began in December 2014, after a court in Cape Coast ordered the demolition of the old project to make way for the Cape Coast Stadium.
Some traders had prayed the court to halt the demolition of the old market until decent structures had been provided for their relocation.
According to Joy News’ Richard Kwadwo Nyarko, the Assemblymen and the traders who claim they have structures at the old market complained that they have not been given some of the stores despite a court directive to do so.
They claimed there was an agreement between them and authorities regarding the distribution of the stores.
They say excluding their names from the list, amount to economic oppression and infringement of their rights.
“They furnished the media with some documents that suggest names, including the Cape Coast Member of Parliament and other NPP people that hitherto did not occupy any of the stores, have stalls allocated to them,” the reporter said.
One of the Assembly members, George Justice Authur, who addressed a press conference on Monday said they are going to organise “a mammoth and unprecedented demonstration” in Cape Coast on Tuesday.
“You are going to see a lot of aggrieved market women who are going to use Schnapp and other drinks to curse the government regarding their stalls taken from them.”
