I'm sorry I wouldn't respond to you - Gomoa East DCE snubs journalist on land guards expose'

The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Gomoa East District Assembly in the Central Region, Mr. Solomon Darko Quarm, did the unthinkable when he snubbed a senior journalist (name withheld) who was following up on activities of land guards in his area.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's appointee treated the journalist rudely when the media practitioner reached him via telephone on Tuesday, October 5, 2022.

The senior journalist reached out to Mr Quarm to get his side of the allegations leveled against him that he had endorsed a traditional office holder of Gomoa Fetteh, Nana Kwesi Kwansah II, popularly known as Kwesi Alhaji, to help the Assembly in its fight against land-guard activities, and which had resulted in acts of violence and a reign of terror by some thugs in the Gomoa Fetteh enclaves.

The elders and youth of Gomoa Fetteh led by Nana Essel, who doubles as the Secretary to the Gomoa Fetteh Stool argued that it is unlawful and wrong for the DCE to ask for the support of Kwesi Alhaji to fight landguardism in the area.

They were of the view that Kwesi Alhaji himself had employed scores of men who are currently working to protect the landed properties Kwasi Alhaji claimed belonged to him in Gomoa Fetteh.

However, contrary opinion by Nana Essel averred that the move by the DCE is a total decoy, and probably uninformed or deliberate since the champion of the agenda with Kwasi Alhaji who is well known in the district for the same atrocities he has been “commissioned” to resolve contrary to the new Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036).

The senior journalist in order to do his responsible journalism contacted the DCE to get further clarification on the matter before publishing such information, but the DCE did not take the matter kindly.

Earlier, the DCE declined not to speak but when the journalist quizzed him further, he responded that "I wouldn't respond if he referring to Nana Essel said l am working with Kwesi Alhaji In Gomoa Fetteh-Gomoah East."

The DCE stated that whoever said he is working with Kwesi Alhaji, "let that person provides whatever evidence he has in his possession. am not going respond to that."

The DCE repeated that "if he (Nana Essel) said l am working with Kwesi Alhaji, that is not a nor factor, but l am not going to respond to that. Please, please anybody who is accusing me that l am working with so...and...so l don't want to respond to that because all the chiefs in the various communities within Gomoa East District know my position."

"All the chiefs know how l do my work and anybody cannot call me and ask me any question and l should be responding to him just like that. l don't have that time. I would not even dialogue with him. That one l am sorry," these are the works of Mr. Quarm.

It would be recalled that the DCE has incurred the wrath of some prominent elders and youths in the Gomoa Fetteh Traditional Area and its adjoining communities.

The aggrieved elders of Gomoa Fetteh
were vehemently protesting the current decision taken by the DCE to use his position to endorse Kwesi Alhaji to help the Assembly in its fight against the land-guard activities.

The elders led by Nana Essel argued that it is unlawful and wrong for the DCE to ask for the support of Kwesi Alhaji to fight landguardism across the assembly in attempts to put a stop to the menace.

"This decision taken by the DCE is completely wrong because there are clear evidence that Kwasi Alhaji has allegedly been land-guards kingpin in Gomoa Fetteh enclaves and that he has even on record to admit to journalists that he (Kwesi Alhaji) employed some men to protect his landed properties in Gomoa Fetteh enclaves from stealing of the people," they noted.

They were responding to a publication by Citi News, authored by Calvis Tetteh, headlined “Gomoa East Assembly wages war on land guards, abolishes digging fee” for which the media outlet reported that the DCE, Mr. Quarm had championed the banning land-guard activities and the collection of digging fees within the district.