Tensions are simmering as the planned #OccupyBoG protest, scheduled for this morning faces a route dispute between the Ghana Police Service and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority.
The Ghana Police Service had earlier announced a predetermined route for the protest, allowing demonstrators to march from Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle to Independence Square.
However, the police excluded Bank of Ghana premises from the approved route, citing security concerns.
This decision sparked disagreement with the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, who insisted that the police should permit NDC MPs and their leadership to proceed to the Central Bank and present their petition to Governor Addison.
“Our position is that the protesters may end at the beginning of the security zone, but the leadership of parliament must be allowed into the central bank to present our petition,” Dr. Forson emphasized during an interview on Joy FM.
The NDC MPs are calling for the immediate resignation of the Bank of Ghana Governors, alleging mismanagement of Ghana’s fiscal space and linking it to the country’s economic challenges.
While the Police Director of Public Affairs, ASP Grace Ansah-Akrofi, stated that an agreement had been reached with the Minority regarding the protest route, Dr. Ato Forson contradicted this claim, stating that the group had not precisely agreed on the route as outlined by the police.
As part of the protest measures, the police announced significant road closures in specific areas. “The road from the Independence Square in front of the National Lotteries towards the old Parliament House will be temporarily blocked to vehicular traffic during the demonstration,” mentioned ASP Ansah-Akrofi.
Despite the route dispute, the police reassured the public of safety during the protest, stating that the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) would be deployed to assist commuters with diversion plans.
The outcome of the protest and the ongoing disagreement between the police and the Minority leadership remain to be seen, raising concerns about public safety and the right to peaceful assembly in the capital city.