Police have arrested the Commander-in-Chief of pressure group Economic Fighters League Ernesto Yeboah and two other leaders for demonstrating in the main chamber of Parliament.
The League was in Parliament on Friday to demonstrate against the proposal by the Parliamentary Service Board to build a new chamber for the legislative.
Leading the charge into the main chamber, Ernesto Yeboah and his group were calling for an immediate halt in plans to build the controversial 450-seater $200million chamber.
But he together with two others was arrested.
They were bundled out of the public gallery by the police, our parliamentary correspondent Komla Klutse reported.
They were heard shouting ‘Drop That Chamber’ when Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa K.T Hammond was defending the need for the new chamber in response to a question posed by MP for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
One of the two others arrested with Ernesto Yeboah, a former National Youth Organiser of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), is Abeiku Adams.
‘A bit of chaos’
The group had initially planned picketting outside Parliament but had to march into the public gallery for their displeasure to be registered.
Komla Klutse reported that their shouts “caused a bit of a chaos”.
After their arrest, they were first taken to the Parliament Police Station before being whisked away to the Ministries Police Station.
Speaking on the issue with TV3‘s Selorm Amenyah, Rasheeda Adams, a leading member of the group championing the social media campaign #DropThatChamber, said their lawyers have been notified about the arrests and assured that the three will be released soon.
In an earlier interview, she condemned the move to get a new chamber and insisted it was not necessary.
“We think they are over-reaching. We think it is just an opportunity to waste money.”
Meanwhile, Majority Leader of Parliament Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who is also the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, said the idea is on paper and no decisions have been firmed up yet.
