The Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa, who also doubles as the Minister for Trade and Industry, Kobina Tahir Hammond (KT Hammond), has indicated that he would not be dropping the police report he filed against his colleague MP for Ketu North, James Klutse Avedzi.
Speaking in an interview on Asaasepa Radio on November 13, 2024, KT Hammond, while narrating the incident that led to his supposed assault, accused Avedzi of deliberately trying to make him fall so he would embarrass him.
He indicated that he wanted the police prosecutors to charge Avedzi with assault for every push he landed on him.
He added that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP would learn a lesson if he spent at least 6 months behind bars.
“You are my friend; we get along very well. I’m older than you, why were you pushing me? You just wanted me to fall so you would embarrass me. You planned to embarrass us… We are human beings; we are not children.
“All of them, numbering about 20, had their hands on me. One of them even pulled my jacket, and my shirt was even showing; it was not right… Let him (Avedzi) go to the police station so he would see that we don’t (sic). You are not a baby. All you wanted to do was to make me fall to embarrass me,” he said in Twi.
He said, “He would be charged with assault. He would be charged for every push… I want him to be jailed. He should be jailed for about six months, but I can’t tell the number of months he would be given.”
Background:
Speaking to the media at the premises of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the Adansi Asokwa legislator announced that he had filed a police report against James Klutse Avedzi over an alleged assault, accusing Avedzi of physically pushing him during a discussion.
“Avedzi was pushing me and I have filed a police report. We are human beings in that Parliament and must exhibit human instincts. We are not animals to exhibit animalistic instincts,” Hammond stated.
He further explained the incident, saying, “I do not understand why, during a discussion with my colleagues, I wasn’t even talking to him but was speaking to my nephew, Ato Forson. This man came out of nowhere and started pushing me. I kept telling him he couldn’t push me, but he kept pushing me about five times. I have filed a complaint.”
The tensions between KT Hammond and several NDC MPs have been escalating, particularly around disputes regarding the majority in Parliament.
The incident on Thursday, November 7, 2024, captured on video and shared on the social media platform X, shows KT Hammond in a heated exchange with several NDC MPs near the Grand Arena at the Accra International Conference Centre.
During the altercation, Hammond was heckled by Avedzi, further intensifying the confrontation. This took place shortly after Speaker Alban Bagbin adjourned proceedings following a boycott of Parliament by NPP MPs.
Watch KT Hammond’s remarks in the video below:
