A news desk report
A credible information reaching our news desk indicates that small-scale miners, who operate their activities within the Bekwai Municipality, Obuasi East District and Adansi Asokwa District of the Ashanti Region, have threatened to vote against the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming 2024 general election if one Aboagye, who claims to be a Contractor, is not called to order.
According to the teeming small-scale miners who have over 10,000 workers in their mining sites, the said Aboagye has allegedly connived with some police officers within the Ashanti South Region and some group of journalists within the Adansi enclaves to regularly visit their sites to intimidate and harass them.
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Based on our source, the said Aboagye claims to have been authorised by the ministries of Lands & Natural Resources, and Sanitation & Water Resources to protect the river bodies within the Amansie and the Adansi enclaves.
The miners claim that the accused person has deliberately adopted these strategies to cripple and collapse their small-scale mining businesses.
According to the aggrieved miners, the actions and inaction of Aboagye are killing the popularity of the NPP in the area, while the leadership of the party and government officials look on unconcerned.
They have, therefore, served a notice to both the Ashanti regional NPP secretariat and the national executives of NPP to sit up as regards the matter, else they will all vote against them in the 2024 polls.
A number of aggrieved miners who spoke to our news team reminded NPP officials to take a cue from what happened in the 2020 general election which has almost led to a hung Parliament as a result of NPP losing several seats in mining areas because of a similar harassment and intimidation against miners.
They said it would, therefore, be in the best interest of NPP leadership in the Ashanti Region to take a keen interest to call Aboagye to order.
They are also calling on the ministries of Lands & Natural Resources, and Sanitation & Water Resources to come out clear about the behaviour of said Aboagye in the area.
