Ablakwa Calls For Kenyan Style Demonstration To Stop Sale Of SSNIT Hotels

• Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu, has called for a massive demonstration against the sale of the SSNIT Hotels
• He said the demonstration should be akin to the recent protests in Kenya, which forced President Ruto to rescind the finance bill
• He said the failure of the President, Akufo-Addo, to stop the selling of the hotels despite widespread criticism is cause for the demonstration

Member of Parliament for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has called for a mass protest against the sale of the four SSNIT Hotels to Rock City Hotel.

He said the demonstration must be akin to the recent Kenyan protests, which saw youths pour onto the streets demanding the withdrawal of a finance bill which they say would make basic amenities unaffordable.

The demonstration, which began peacefully, soon turned riotous as police and protesters clashed, leading to the deaths and disappearances of several protesters.

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Portions of the Kenyan parliament building, as well as the homes and properties of some parliamentarians, were razed.

President of Kenya William Ruto withdrew the bill after much criticism.

According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in a Facebook post, just like in Kenya, while there has been a lot of protest against the sale of the hotels, President Akufo-Addo has failed to show any commitment to ensuring that the right thing is done.

He said the President has ignored the pleas of ordinary citizens and trade unions and is allowing the sale of the hotels to continue unabated.

He said the President’s unyielding stance on the sale of the hotels demands more collective pressure to force him to act in the people’s interest.

This is despite Okudzeto Ablakwa leading a demonstration dubbed “Hands off our hotels” on June 18, 2024, urging President Akufo-Addo to halt the sale of the hotels.

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Ablakwa dismisses SSNIT board's justification of hotel sale

Okudzeto Ablakwa further expressed utter disappointment in SSNIT board chair Elizabeth Ohene for justifying the sale of the hotels despite widespread criticism of the deal.

In an op-ed, the SSNIT board chair stated that the sale of the hotels was done in a clean and transparent manner and that political or eternal influences did not influence the board's decision.

Elizabeth Ohene had further challenged Okudzeto Ablakwa to prove if there were any discrepancies in the deal.

Responding to Ohene’s statement, he said the board chair had failed to include labour unions' opposition to the sale of the hotels.

The labour unions also form part of the SSNIT board.

He said the response of the SSNIT board chair is further proof of Akufo-Addo’s involvement in what he describes as ‘state capture’ and stated that a date for the mass demonstration would be announced soon.

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Blay family to sue Okudzeto over state capture claims

In a related story, YEN.com.gh reported that Kwame Blay, son of former NPP National Chairman Freddie Blay, has also reacted to the allegations made against him and his family by the North Tongu MP

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has accused the Blay family of state capture and illegally possessing land that rightfully belongs to the state.

But Kwame Blay refutes the allegation, and he says his lawyers will contact Ablakwa by mid-next week.

Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh