Ellembelle DCE condemns demolition of NDC party office

The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ellembelle in the Western Region, Joseph Agyekum, has condemned acts of vandalism by unknown land guards and assailants who destroyed a new NDC party office under construction at Awiaso Junction.

Unknown assailants, wielding guns and machetes, went on the rampage and destroyed the party office, which was under construction at Awiaso Junction near Aiyinasi and valued at GH¢1 million, in the early hours of Thursday, May 7, 2026.

Addressing the media at the project site, the Ellembelle DCE said Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, acquired two plots of land in 2017, valued at GH¢40,000, from Nana Boadi, the late chief of Awiaso.

He explained that when the project commenced, the royal family, led by the Chief of Awiaso, Nana Akpanyi Armoo, and the Abusuapanyin, Nana Ekeyeboe, contested the ownership of the land following the death of the late chief, insisting that the land was not legitimately sold to Nana Boadi, who allegedly transferred it to the MP.

He said the matter was initially taken to court but was later withdrawn for settlement under Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

According to him, when he assumed office as DCE, he informed the family that, in order to avoid litigation, the NDC party would pay for the land again.

He further noted that, according to the royal family, the party would be granted the land to build its office under certain conditions, which party executives accepted.

The conditions included employing local youth in the construction works, supporting the community with building materials for a new palace complex, and paying annual royalties to the royal family.

However, the DCE said the royal family later introduced an additional condition after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had already been signed and sealed.

“The new condition was that the MP and the NDC party in Ellembelle must ensure that the National House of Chiefs gazettes King Kaku Aka III as Overlord of Nzema,” he stated.

He noted that this demand was beyond the mandate of either the DCE or the NDC party executives in the constituency.

The DCE further suggested that this development may have angered King Kaku Aka III and the Awiaso royal family.

He added that this was not the first time the structure had been demolished, stating that it had been attacked previously as a result of ongoing disputes over the land.

According to him, apart from the courts and the District Security Council (DISEC), no individual or group has the authority to demolish any structure.

The Ellembelle NDC Constituency Chairman, Alex Mahama, also expressed disappointment over the incident and urged the police to arrest those responsible.

Some NDC branch executives who spoke to the media also condemned the attack and called on the Ghana Police Service to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.