You Will Come and Beg Us for Votes —Mechanics Tell Ablekuma North MP After Being Asked to Move

Mechanics operating along a highway in the Ablekuma North Municipality have confronted the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) after he asked them to remove vehicles parked along the outer lane, warning that the Member of Parliament would return to seek their votes during the next election campaign.

The confrontation arose when the MCE and his team visited the area to address the use of the highway’s outer lane by mechanics who have extended their working spaces onto the roadside, where they park and repair vehicles brought to them by customers.

The visit followed concerns about the growing lack of order along the highway stretch leading to Lapaz, where vehicles awaiting repairs have reportedly occupied portions of the outer lane, raising questions about road safety and the proper use of public roads.

Days before the MCE’s intervention, a citizen had reportedly recorded a video highlighting the situation and calling on the Ghana Highway Authority, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) and the municipal authorities to take action to restore order along the road.

During the enforcement exercise, the mechanics reportedly resisted the directive to move their vehicles, arguing that their activities provided them with a means of earning a living in the absence of sufficient employment opportunities.

One of the arguments attributed to the mechanics was that politicians who were currently asking them to vacate the area would return during election campaigns to solicit their support.

“We are all Ghanaians, that’s how we also survive, the government has not created jobs for us and we have created our own jobs too, you are here to sack us,” the mechanics reportedly argued.

They further questioned why they were being asked to leave the location when the area’s MP had previously visited the same spot to campaign without raising objections to their activities.

“Your government’s MP will be here to campaign and ask us to vote for him and his party again, we shall see, he was at this very place that today you are asking us to leave to campaign and he didn’t have a problem with it then, so why is it a problem now?” they added.

The mechanics also reportedly disputed the explanation that the space they occupied formed part of the road, insisting that the area was not part of the main carriageway.

The MCE, however, maintained his directive and gave the mechanics until October 22, 2026, to remove the vehicles parked along the stretch, warning that those left behind after the deadline would be towed.

Some members of the public have suggested that vehicles left along the highway should be towed away, with owners required to pay a fee to retrieve them, while vehicles that remain unclaimed after a specified period could be auctioned in accordance with the applicable procedures.

The confrontation has raised a broader question about the enforcement of road regulations and the difficulties authorities face when attempts to restore order affect the livelihoods of people who depend on roadside businesses.

The MCE’s directive gives the mechanics until the stated deadline to clear the affected stretch, after which the municipal authorities have indicated that towing measures will be used against vehicles that remain on the roadside.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DEx6uUcaY/

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