Krobo Youth Network, a youth group in Manya Krobo, staged a demonstration at Odumase Krobo prior to the visit of the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to the Lower Manya Krobo Constituency yesterday demanding an apology from him for what they termed derogatory statements made by Mr Atta Akyea, the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South in the Eastern Region.
As early as 9 a.m., the group, which was escorted by the police, started the demonstration from Nuaso through the principal streets to the palace of the Paramount Chief, Nene Saki II, to present a petition to him. They carried placards, some of which read: “Nana Addo, you have already failed for disrespecting the Krobo,” “Nana Addo, go away from Krobo land; we don’t need you,” “The Krobo are highly educated” and “Nana you need to apologise to the Krobo.”
There was nearly a nasty scene at 12:10 p.m. when the group got to the Odumase Krobo main lorry station where Nana Akufo- Addo would address the NPP faithful. The NPP members who were dancing to loud music whilst waiting for the flag bearer suddenly poured on the main road and tried to attack some of the demonstrators whom they accused as being supported by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Lower Manya Krobo Constituency. The police on the ground quickly intervened and calm was restored.
At 12:30 p.m. when the demonstrators got to the palace to present the petition to the paramount chief, so that he would in turn present it to Nana Akufo-Addo, the NPP members positioned themselves at the palace and prevented the leadership of the demonstrators from presenting the petition.
The group, who waited for about five minutes, raised all the placards and showed them to the people standing at the forecourt of the palace. They then continued with the demonstration to the Odumase–Krobo Laasi Park where they addressed the media.
The leader of the demonstrators and the convener, Mr Evans Srenyame Tetteh, and the main organiser, Mr Ebenezer Kwesi Kpabitey, in the press statement to Nene Sakite, and copied to the Municipal Chief Executive for Lower Manya Krobo, Mr Jacob Frederick Kwame Acolatse, which was read openly, said among other things that in February this year when Parliament passed the Eastern Region University Bill into law with the main campus at Somanya, Mr Atta Akyea made derogatory remarks about the Krobo that they did not deserve a university.
That, the spokesperson said, did not go down well with the Krobo as an ethnic group, adding, “Atta Akyea’s statement was an affront to the dignity of the Krobo and Dangme in general.”
The statement said the Krobo Youth Network had since then called on Mr Atta Akyea and the leadership of the party to apologise but to no avail.
It added that the group appealed to the paramount chief to seek an apology on behalf of the entire Krobo when Nana Akufo-Addo paid homage to the paramountcy.
The group said the Krobo were not aliens in the Eastern Region and would thus not tolerate such irresponsible statements in the future.
“We marched peacefully today in protest against Nana and his NPP’s irresponsibility but we may react differently if they fail to apologise to the Krobo in general,” the statement stressed.
When Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP party officials landed at Odumase Krobo at exactly 4 p.m., he and his entourage wanted to pay homage to the paramount chief, but he was out of town, so they went straight to the durbar ground at the lorry station where he addressed the party members.
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