Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Bernard Oko Boye, has demanded the immediate resignation of the Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, over the recent demolition of structures at La Pleasure Beach.

Speaking to journalists at the "Aaagbe wɔ demo,” on October 29, 2026, he questioned the MP’s continued stay in government after she expressed concern about the demolition, arguing that her position as a deputy minister responsible for local government should have enabled her to obtain information about the exercise.

“The MP for La, she must resign today. How can you be the chief spokesperson for your people? Be a deputy minister for local government. You sit in government with these people, and then they’ll come and break it, and you come and cry that you don’t know anything about it,” he said.

According to him, if the MP indeed was unaware of the demolition, it raised questions about whether her own government respected her position.

“If she doesn’t know anything about it, what it means is that her own government don’t respect her. If your government does not respect you, you have no business being in government,” he added.

Dr Oko Boye further noted that the demolition was particularly troubling because the dispute between the hotel and beach operators was before court.

He accused the authorities of taking the matter out of the court process and using National Security personnel to demonstrate their power.

“The hotel went to court with the beach operators, and the judge was handling the case. But because this government is a reckless government, the people took the matter away from court, the hotel, that they are not interested anymore. And then they went to the National Security in the night, to show them where power lies,” he said.

His comments come amid public debate over the circumstances surrounding the demolition and the future of businesses operating along the La beachfront.

Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stan Dogbe, has said the exercise was conducted under National Security supervision at the request of the Labadi Beach Hotel and was not part of the government’s flood mitigation programme.

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has also explained that it sought intervention to address what it described as unauthorised occupation and activities along the beachfront adjoining the Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Royal Beach Hotel. SSNIT has said the beaches will remain open to the public after the affected areas are cleaned and restored.

The demolition at La Pleasure Beach and adjoining areas took place in the early hours of Friday, October 2, 2026, with personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces’ 48 Engineer Regiment and the Ghana Police Service involved in the operation.

The exercise affected businesses and structures along the beachfront, leaving several operators concerned about the loss of their investments and livelihoods.

The MP, who confronted military personnel at the site, said she had previously engaged the relevant authorities and had been assured that structures around the Labadi Beach Hotel would not be affected. She expressed surprise at the demolition and questioned why the La area had been targeted.

La Community threatens court action over beach redevelopment

Dr Oko-Boye, however, questioned the government’s engagement with the affected operators and residents, insisting that no government official had spoken to them about their concerns.

“Nobody in this government has spoken to the people of La and the beach people. Nobody. And they have come to lie that they have formed a committee,” he said.

He challenged the government to disclose the membership of the committee it had reportedly established to address the matter.

Dr Oko Boye further accused the government of destroying people’s sources of income without adequately explaining the measures being taken to support those affected.

“So, we are here to let the government know that Accra is angry, and not only angry, but we are also hungry,” he added.

The demolition at La Pleasure Beach and adjoining areas took place in the early hours of Friday, October 2, 2026, with personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces’ 48 Engineer Regiment and the Ghana Police Service involved in the operation.

The exercise affected businesses and structures along the beachfront, leaving several operators concerned about the loss of their investments and livelihoods.

JKB/VPO

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