Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman Freddie Blay has accused President John Dramani Mahama of personally ordering the demolition of structures at Polo Beach, a beachfront property associated with his son, Kwame Blay.
Mr Blay made the allegation during a media interview while defending his son’s ownership and occupation of the property, which the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has described as an unauthorised occupation and encroachment on the beachfront adjoining the Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Royal Beach Hotel.
According to Mr Freddie Blay, the matter involving his son’s business was already before the courts when the demolition occurred.
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He alleged that the hotel petitioned the National Security Council Secretariat over the property and subsequently complained to President Mahama, who, he claimed, directed that the structures be removed.
“Then you complain to the President, and the President orders that you go and break it. He has no respect for law,” Mr Blay said.
He maintained that his son was not a squatter and had legally acquired the land on which the business operated.
Mr Freddie Blay also rejected suggestions that his son had taken over state property, arguing that the land the business occupied was separate from the land belonging to the hotel.
“My son has acquired land from the [Lands Commission] and does business on the land. How do you say that belongs to the state?” he questioned.
His comments followed arguments that the demolition was necessary because the business had allegedly encroached on property belonging to the state.
Freddie Blay, however, said even where a person is alleged to have encroached on another person’s land, the appropriate course of action is for the courts to determine the matter.
“If I come and squat on your land, all you have to do is let the court take me out,” he said, insisting that the dispute was already before the courts.
He challenged the suggestion that SSNIT’s ownership of the Labadi Beach Hotel automatically meant that the disputed beachfront formed part of the hotel’s property.
According to him, the land in question had a separate ownership history and was acquired and leased through arrangements involving the Lands Commission.
SSNIT, meanwhile, has defended the intervention that led to the removal of what it described as unauthorised occupants from the beachfront adjoining and directly in front of the Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Royal Beach Hotel.
In a statement dated October 2, 2026, the pension fund manager said it had sought the urgent intervention of the National Security Council Secretariat over what it described as the “persistent unlawful occupation, encroachment, and unauthorised activities” on the beachfront.
SSNIT said the two hotels form part of its investment portfolio and constitute significant national hospitality and tourism assets.
It said it therefore had a fiduciary responsibility to safeguard the investments and preserve their value for the benefit of contributors and pensioners under Ghana’s Basic National Social Security Scheme.
“These assets belong to the workers and pensioners of Ghana,” SSNIT stated.
The institution said the continued occupation posed risks to the safety and security of hotel guests, employees and visitors, as well as creating concerns over sanitation, fire safety, environmental protection and public health.
It also cited unauthorised access to areas close to hotel operations, deterioration of the beachfront, degradation of the coastal ecosystem and potential reputational damage to the hotels and Ghana’s tourism industry.
According to SSNIT, the encroachments also disrupted hotel operations and the guest beach experience, with possible implications for patronage, revenue and financial performance.
The institution said it requested National Security’s support to protect assets belonging to Ghanaian workers.
SSNIT further announced that the affected beaches would be cleaned and restored to a safe and desirable condition and would remain open to the public.