Independent presidential candidate and leader of the New Force, Nana Kwame Bediako, alias Cheddar, has distanced himself from the protest led by the group Democracy Hub, which has seen 39 demonstrators remanded into Police custody.
While acknowledging the frustrations of Ghana’s youth, Nana Kwame Bediako emphasised that violence and protests were not the solution and asked for patience and peaceful action ahead of the 2024 elections.
Speaking during a break from his tour of Ghana’s 276 constituencies, Mr. Bediako addressed the fallout from the three-day protest, urging the youth to seek change through knowledge and wisdom rather than confrontation.
“Power is taken, not given,” he said, “but we must take it with wisdom and knowledge. Violence, of course, is not going to be the right way for us to send the message.”
The protest, which took place near the 37 Military Hospital Intersection in Accra, led to charges of unlawful assembly, conspiracy, and damage to public property.
Thirty-nine protesters, following confrontations with law enforcement, have been arrested by police. They were on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, arraigned, and they have been remanded into both prison and police custody.
Despite understanding the reasons behind the protest, Mr. Bediako expressed his disapproval, calling for a focus on building the country rather than resorting to actions that could destabilise it.
“We have to be patient. We have to know that Ghana is our only country. We cannot go anywhere else if we mess it up,” he warned, urging the youth to “build it together”.