The Minority Caucus in has criticised the Mayor of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, for threatening to publicly flog traders who refuse to vacate unauthorised trading spaces within the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, signed by the Ranking Member of the Local Government and Rural Development Committee, Francis Asenso-Boakye, they described the comments as dangerous, undemocratic, and unbecoming of a public officer.
The statement said that while it fully acknowledges that the Local Governance Act (Act 936) empowers Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) as the highest planning authorities within their jurisdictions, and it is indeed their lawful duty to enforce bylaws and ensure public order, including preventing trading on pedestrian walkways, this mandate must be carried out within the confines of the law and with full respect for human rights. "Violence, threats of physical abuse, and the use of fear as a governance tool are unacceptable in any form and have no place in a constitutional democracy like ours.
The remarks made by the mayor are not only reckless, but also risk undermining public confidence in local authorities and may expose the Assembly to potential human rights violations," the statement said.
