Presidential candidate of the United Front Party (UFP) in the 2012 elections, Akwasi Addai, popularly called Odike, has declared war with the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Kojo Bonsu.
Odike caused a stir on Friday when he invoked the spirits of some powerful river deities to deal ruthlessly with the Kumasi Mayor.
The Kumasi-based politician cum businessman, using eggs and bottles of schnapps, prayed to the river goddesses not to spare the Asokwahene, Nana Offin Bamoah as well, for aiding in the destruction of his investment.
Odike took that weird action because he felt that Kojo Bonsu and the Asokwahene had treated him unfairly over a land issue.
The prime land, located at Asokwa in Kumasi, was being used to construct DVLA vehicle testing office by the UFP presidential candidate.
To Odike’s horror, a group of armed military personnel allegedly stormed the construction site to demolish the project which was nearing completion at 3:00am on Friday.
It was suspected that the armed soldiers acted upon the orders of the Kumasi Mayor, Kojo Bonsu.
A close associate of Odike, who briefed DAILY GUIDE, said the UFP presidential candidate was not informed before the demolition exercise took place.
This, he said, incensed the man, and informed his decision to hurl curses at Kojo Bonsu and the Asokwahene.
According to the source, Odike rushed to the Asokwahene’s house on Friday morning and hurled the curses at him.
The peeved UFP leader then drove to Kojo Bonsu’s house where he repeated the ritual by breaking eggs and pouring libation after reciting incantations. The source said Odike felt that he had been cheated by the two personalities, and hence resorted to the spiritual means for justice.
According to the source, Odike genuinely bought the land from the Asokwahene for the project after getting the green-light from the DVLA to operate a private vehicle testing centre, as applicable in Accra, in order to reduce the congestion at the Kumasi DVLA office.
The UFP presidential candidate, a close friend of President John Mahama’s, allegedly informed the KMA even before he started constructing the project six months ago.
The source said Kojo Bonsu had even assured Odike that he would help him to secure a building permit for the private/public partnership project. He alleged that Kojo Bonsu and the Asokwahene had suddenly turned against Odike because a certain owner of a timber firm was ready to pay a higher amount for the same plot.
The source said the owner of the timber firm recently offered to pay $2 million to Odike for the land but the UFP leader rejected the offer.
He said Odike was surprised that Kojo Bonsu, who was helping him to secure a building permit, could suddenly order military men to demolish the building project.
Again, he said the top politician was also peeved that the Asokwahene who sold the land to him was now supporting a different person to take over the land. This, he explained, was the reason Odike invoked curses on the two personalities.
However, DAILY GUIDE learnt that the land on which the building was sited had been earmarked for a road project and that the Asokwa interchange might eat into it, making the place unsuitable for Odike’s project.
Meanwhile, Kojo Bonsu’s spokesperson, Sammy Gyamfi has debunked Odike’s allegation that his boss had stabbed him in the back.
According to him, the fact of the matter was that Odike did not have a permit to construct a building on the land under contention.
Mr Gyamfi noted that Kojo Bonsu had on countless occasions advised Odike not to construct the building on the land, but Odike would not listen.
He described the demolition as very unfortunate but said the Mayor had no other option.
Mr Gyamfi said Kojo Bonsu believed that irrespective of one’s social or political standing, the law should deal with everyone equally when they erred.
He, therefore, cautioned people who were building at unapproved places in the city to stop, since they would also not be spared.
