Sack Kumasi Mayor now – Akosua Manu to Mahama

Former Adentan NPP parliamentary candidate, Akosua Manu, has issued a sharp rebuke of Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi following his threat to use physical force against traders defying the city’s pavement trading ban.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Wednesday, April 16, Manu condemned the Mayor’s remarks as a dangerous invitation to lawlessness and insisted that such conduct has no place in Ghana’s democratic governance.

“What I do not understand is that somebody put into a leadership role can stand in front of people to threaten physical assault—and even double down on that position when questioned,” she said.

She maintained that the Mayor’s actions merit not just a reprimand but outright removal from office, adding that reiterating support for violence as a tool of enforcement undermines the rule of law.

“He should have been the shortest-serving appointee in this government,” she said. “If it were under President Akufo-Addo, the KMA Mayor would have been withdrawn immediately.”

Akosua Manu further warned that allowing such behavior to go unchecked could embolden other city leaders to adopt similar lawless tactics, creating nationwide disorder.

“If this becomes a template, tomorrow the Accra Mayor could do the same, and then Tamale. Leadership must be exercised in a humane, civil manner. No one should be beaten in the name of enforcement,” she cautioned.

The Mayor’s controversial comment came ahead of a decongestion exercise slated for April 16 in Kumasi, during which he threatened non-compliant traders with corporal punishment. His remarks have since sparked widespread backlash.