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Asoma Mohammed Danladin, New Patriotic Party (NPP) chairman of the Tema East constituency, has described as a hoax, a story making rounds in the media that some unknown persons attempted to set the Tema main market ablaze Wednesday night. In his opinion, the story was to justify the issue raised by President John Dramani Mahama recently that fire outbreaks destroying markets across the country were deliberately perpetuated by arsonists. According to him, even though he was not present at the scene to witness what actually happened, he believed that nothing of the sort happened, and that it was an attempt by persons in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) who want the whole world to believe that something like that happened. Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle, Asoma Danladin, who is also the Assembly Member for the Padmore Electoral Area, which forms part of the Tema main market, said the market is locked up at 18:30 hours every day. �Besides, there are about 50 security men hired by the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to keep watch inside the market every day, so how come they were not able to see this coming, or better still, could not have arrested the perpetrators?� he queried. He hinted that he had his men all over the place and, therefore, if somebody actually attempted to set the market on fire, he would have been informed or got wind of it. However, in a sharp rebuttal, Alhassan Issah, Assembly Member for the Kwasi Plange Electoral Area, believes that some people actually attempted to set the market on fire. He said, but for the vigilance of the security men inside the market, properties running into several thousands of Ghana cedis could have been destroyed by the fire. �In any case, why would the suspects run away if they were not guilty of the offence? I have witnessed many fire outbreaks in the market. When we go there, it is always either by the negligence of someone forgetting to put off his or her iron after use, or illegal connections. �But this time, it was different, because the people actually prepared the ground with the collection of some wood and polythene, and were getting ready to light it when the security men detected it. So it is true that some people are behind the fire outbreaks across the country.� Alhassan Issah thanked the TMA security men in the market for their alertness in discovering the plot and helped to bring it under control, adding he now believed the President when he said some people were behind the fire outbreaks across the country. On his part, Mr. Richmond Laweh Mensah, Chairman of the Peoples Convention Party (CPP) in the constituency, said he was not in favour of the politicisation of the issue, which, according to him, was very important. He observed that in every rumour there was an iota of truth, and therefore, people should not just brush aside the possibility of some persons attempting to set fire to the market, and believe that what happened was an attempt to rationalise what the President had said. Mr. Mensah noted: �However, so far as the President is the Commander in Chief of our security forces, I think he knows what he is talking about. �My advice, however, is that because the market is a confined area with many gates, the security men should be seen doing their job, and should have been able to arrest the suspects.� He continued that the Assembly should be able to beef up security in the market to ensure that the security of the area was absolutely secured.