Rawlings never visited Abossey Okai – Spare Parts Dealers Association Co-Chair

Almost all the presidential candidates for political parties since time immemorial made a stop at Abossey Okai, one of the country’s trading hub to interact with them.

The visit and interaction was to bring to bear their challenges and concerns for both the traders and the sitting government to devise means of finding a lasting solution to their problems.

This was not so during former president Jerry John Rawlings’ era as he reportedly failed to turn up there.

According to the Co-chairman of the Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association, Clement Boateng, J.J Rawlings never stepped foot in Abossey Okai when he was President.

“Since 1996 or ever since Ghana was ushered into democratic dispensation, apart from Rawlings who never stepped foot in Abossey Okai here, all the presidents whether aspiring or incumbent had come to Abossey Okai, everybody was welcomed,” Mr Boateng revealed in an interview with GhanaWeb.

Aside from him, the likes of the late John Evans Atta-Mills, John Agyekum Kufuor, John Dramani Mahama passed through the trading community while in office.

The recent to follow the lead was President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

On Tuesday, October 27, 2020, the NPP flagbearer visited the trading community as part of his Greater Accra regional tour.

Speaking on the President's visit, Mr Boateng said the Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association is apolitical and welcomes any presidential candidate from all political parties who show interest in visiting them.

He noted that their gesture is aimed at listening to all political parties on policies they’ll put in place to make sure the business environment is friendly for the Association.

“We the executives here are non-political. Any presidential aspirant who wants to come to Abossey Okai here is welcomed. We don’t discriminate. We are businessmen so whatever government that comes on board, comes out with policies that will be of beneficial to the business community and for that matter the spare parts industry is welcomed,” he said in an interview with GhanaWeb.

Clement Boateng, however, noted that the President's visitation was successful as he was met with a cheerful crowd.