The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has issued a strong condemnation of what it describes as a rising trend of politically motivated intimidation and harassment targeting its members.
The opposition party cited the recent arrest and detention of its Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye, as emblematic of this disturbing pattern.
“The arrest and detention of Chairman Kwame Baffoe, alias Abronye, is the latest instalment of the growing pattern of politically motivated intimidation and harassment of our members for being critical of the NDC government,” the party said in a statement.
The NPP expressed concern over the use of state security agencies to suppress dissent, stating that the Mahama-led administration appeared to be weaponising law enforcement against opposition voices.
“The nation, under John Mahama’s presidency, is essentially witnessing the resurrection of the dreaded culture of silence and criminalisation of speech,” the statement asserted and signed by General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua.
While affirming its commitment to responsible public discourse, the NPP emphasized that civil remedies, not criminal prosecution are the appropriate legal recourse for defamation.
“The law, they say, is the law, and we expect the IGP to know better. You don’t weaponise and abuse your office to settle personal scores with the very people you are supposed to protect,” the NPP said, adding that “Ugly noises are certainly better than the culture of silence.”
The party also referenced broader concerns about democratic backsliding, including the alleged removal of the Chief Justice on “flimsy grounds” and Ghana’s declining position on the World Press Freedom Index.
The NPP called on all peace-loving Ghanaians and defenders of democracy to resist what it termed “growing tyranny.”
