Traders at the Racecourse Market in Kumasi have expressed their dissatisfaction with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), urging Ashanti region voters to explore other options in the upcoming December 2024 general elections.

Their discontent is partly due to the selection of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, as the running mate for the party’s flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

At a press conference on July 15, 2024, the market women voiced their frustration, accusing the NPP of neglecting the region despite its longstanding support for the party.

In their message to the NPP, the Racecourse market women warned that,

“If Bawumia thinks we will vote for him because he is from the Ashanti Region, then he should forget about it. We are no more going to vote based on where we come from but rather who can bring development to Asanteman”.

The traders pointed to the halted construction of critical projects, such as the Kumasi Central Market and the Krofrom Market, as the basis for their grievances.

Spokesperson for the traders, Christabel Amoah, stressed that although Dr. Opoku Prempeh is from the Ashanti Region, his nearly two-decade tenure as MP has not resulted in significant benefits for the community.

“We don’t have a proper place to use as our market. We live in water. Racecourse has been deserted. We stay under the sun from morning till dusk for our daily bread. Sometimes we are overrun by vehicles and some even lose their lives through it.

“NAPO has been MP for 16 years and the abandoned Krofrom Market is in his constituency so we expected him to fix it so we could use it but he didn’t. And we don’t expect him to address our problems at this juncture when he has been appointed as running mate,” onuaonline.com quoted her to have said during the press conference.

The traders also emphasized their lack of support during crises, such as fire outbreaks, noting that the MP has not engaged with them to help find solutions.

“A lot has happened in our market including fire outbreaks but there has not been a single instance where he has come to us to share in our problems to help solve them" she added.