Tension has risen in the Asene Manso Akroso Constituency of the Eastern Region as a result of the arrest of the Adontenhemaa of Akyem Akroso, Nana Afia Henewaa, and Solomon Obeng Asante, the campaign manager of parliamentary aspirant Alex Owusu Adjei for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) upcoming primaries.

The arrests occurred after the two expressed dissatisfaction over the change of venue for the New Patriotic Party's parliamentary primaries.

The main challenger, Alex Owusu Adjei, has accused the police commander and the incumbent MP, George Kwame Aboagye, of being behind the change of venue.

The arrests have fueled tension among residents and delegates, leading to threats of supporting Adjei as an independent candidate in the general elections if he loses the primaries.

Supporters of the NPP in the constituency are also considering allowing Adjei to contest independently if the party leadership does not reconsider the change in venue.

They argue that the new venue, Akim Batabi, is a ploy to favor the incumbent MP and that the previous location at Akroso Presby school has been used peacefully in past elections.

The supporters have taken to the streets to register their displeasure over the venue change, emphasizing their willingness to support Adjei as an independent candidate if the decision is not reversed.

“We have seen on the platform that the venue has changed to Batabi. Our problem is that the venue is close to the MP’s house. We believe that the MP has an interest, which is why the venue has changed. We don’t want intimidation; it is becoming too much. The executives have been campaigning for the incumbent. We cannot go there to cast our votes; we will let Alex Owusu Agyei contest as an independent candidate,” they warned.