Some traders in Accra are blaming the low patronage of their wares on the dispute that has characterized the just-ended general election.

According to the traders, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview, even though the Christmas season was closing in, the usual brisk business that usually characterized the yuletide was missing.

Madam Ama Okailey, a trader at the Makola market who sells rice and cooking oil told the GNA that, shopping for the current Christmas season was not encouraging as compared to last year.

She blamed the disputed general election for the low patronage, and explained that the refusal of the supporters of the main opposition New Patriotic Party

(NPP) to end their demonstrations is scaring many people from coming to buy goods.

Madam Okailey therefore appealed to the media to stop hyping on the raging electoral disputes and also called on Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, flagbearer of the NPP to accept defeat.

Some of the traders the GNA spoke to were, however, very optimistic that business would improve as the days went by.

One of such traders was Mr Kofi Okyere, a dealer in clothing at Kantamanto who said Ghanaians had the habit of doing shopping at the last minute, but also appealed to the general public for calm to enable them to do business.