NPP hits streets today with ‘Y3gye y3 sika’ demo

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is hitting the streets today, Tuesday, November 3, to protest over the government’s handling of a recent evacuation exercise involving 1,964 Ghanaians and controversies surrounding the issuance of diplomatic and service passports.

The demonstration, dubbed “Y3gye y3 sika”, began 6:00 a.m. at Villaggio, near the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange and opposite Accra Mall.

Protesters are expected to march from Villaggio to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before proceeding to Jubilee House, where the party intends to press its demands for transparency and accountability.

A major issue driving the protest is the NPP’s demand for the government to account for the expenditure on the evacuation exercise.

The opposition party wants the original invoices, contracts and proof of payment for all charter flights used during the operation made public.

It is also demanding the release of the full passenger manifest and beneficiary list to establish the reported evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians, as well as an independent audit of the total expenditure.

The protest is also directed at Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, whom the NPP has accused of wrongdoing in connection with the evacuation exercise and the issuance of diplomatic and service passports. The allegations have not been established and remain subject to investigation.

Beyond the evacuation exercise, the party is calling for the publication of details of all diplomatic and service passports issued since January 2025.

It wants the government to disclose the official positions or status that qualified recipients for the documents and identify the authorities responsible for approving their issuance.

The NPP is demanding Ablakwa’s immediate dismissal and investigations by the Attorney-General and the Office of the Special Prosecutor, with prosecution of any officials found culpable.

Announcing the demonstration at a press conference on October 29, the party’s National Youth Organiser, Abanga Fuseini Yakubu, said public funds and official documents must be managed in the interest of citizens.

“The public money belongs to the people, so do the official documents of the Republic. The ministers hold them in trust, and when the trust is abused, it is the people who must rise and demand accountability,” he said.

Yakubu called on youth organisers, constituency and polling station executives, women’s groups and other supporters to mobilise for the protest.

He also urged participants to maintain peace and discipline throughout the exercise.

“Our strength is in our numbers and our discipline, never in disorder,” he said.

The NPP says it will sustain its demand for answers until the concerns raised over the evacuation expenditure and passport issuance are addressed.