Top NDC executives exposed in Kotokuraba market allocations

There have been accusations and counter accusations between the two main political parties, the NPP and NDC over the allocation of the refurbished Kotokuraba market stores in Cape Coast.

As a section of the populace accused the Central Regional branch of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by the Central Regional Minister, Mr. Kwamina Duncan and the Mayor of Cape Coast, Mr. Ernest Arthur of allocating the refurbished Kotokruaba market to their party members, names have started popping up.

The Mayor of Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly (CCMA) has however broken his silence over the brouhaha on the allocation and mentioned names of prominent opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) functionaries who were allocated shops at the market.

Some bigwigs of the NDC whose names popped up included; the Central Regional Vice Chairman of NDC, Mr. Samuel Wilberforce, the Regional Women’s Organizer of NDC, Madam Ekua Swanzy and Sarah Ayensu wife of one of the Concerned Assembly Members who recently demonstrated against the unfairness of the sharing of the market.

The Mayor of Cape Coast, Mr. Arthur made the revelation at the press conference at the CCMA, in the raging controversy about the market allocation

He further revealed that before the market was awarded to a contractor for the redevelopment, the original shops were 98 but the former Mayor of the Assembly, Mrs. Priscilla Arhin Kuranchie and Kotokruaba market women association registered 1, 567 applicants who had no trading activities within the market.

Mr. Arthur stated that unfortunately, the total numbers of lockable stores at the new market are 267 and 658 stalls making it a total number of 915 way below the number that had been registered.

“As compared to the total number of new applicants definitely the assembly cannot allocate a store or stall to everybody in the refurbished market”, he said.

Mr. Arthur said before he assumed office as the Mayor of the area, there was an injunction at the market restraining authorities from going ahead to allocate store until after 98 of the original occupants are served.

He disclosed that all the 98 original occupants who owned shops at the old market have since been issued with keys to their shops and none of them has been denied a place by the Assembly or the Central Regional Minister.

According to the Mayor, after court’s directive had been adhered to, they were given the clearance to go ahead with the allocations of the market stores but he realized that despite his predecessor had already released about 20 keys to some other traders.