John Mahama and Bryan Acheampong
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) says if anybody has to be arrested by the police for treasonable comments, then it is former President John Mahama, for his continuous warmongering statements.
According to the NPP, the NDC presumptive candidate has consistently been inciting his party supporters against the country through his reckless “Do or die for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in reference to the 2024 general elections.”
Additionally, the NPP mentioned that another person who should be arrested is the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, for his brazen proclamation that members of the NDC are willing to sacrifice their lives to win the 2024 elections.
This follows a statement from the General Secretary of the NDC, Fifi Kwetey, calling for the arrest of Agriculture Minister, Bryan Acheampong over his comment which the NDC scribe described as treasonable.
Bryan Acheampong, speaking to members of the NPP in Kwahu Mpraeso after a health walk on Saturday, April 8, 2023 said, “NDC party will collapse. If the NDC dares to use threats, violence and foolishness in the 2024 election, we will let them know we have the men. We will show them that we have the men. We have the men.
“It will never happen that we the NPP will stand on a platform to hand over power to the NDC. It will never happen! We will make sure NPP remains in government at all cost.”
The former Minister of State at Ministry of National Security added, “Now with the way things are changing, the economy will bounce back again, I am telling you that we are going to come around that curve and we are going to win the 2024 elections hands down.”
NDC Runs To CID
Meanwhile, the NDC has petitioned the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to investigate the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, for his comments.
The petition signed by the Director of Legal Affairs of the NDC, Abraham Amaliba, dated April 11, 2023, read, “That Your Petitioner says that the said Hon Bryan Acheampong continued to say that they — NPP will show the NDC that the NPP have the men, and that the NPP will do everything possible — fair or foul means to remain in power come what may in the 2024 general elections. I enclose herein, audios and videos of the utterances of Hon Bryan Acheampong for your perusal.
“That in the estimation of Your Petitioner and those of the general public, the statements uttered by Hon Bryan Acheampong could be interpreted to mean that the NPP has conceived a grand scheme to subvert the will of the people of Ghana in the 2024 elections and any attempt to resist them would be met with violence.
“Your Petitioner wishes to remind you of Hon Bryan Acheampong’s unilateral and illegal deployment of NPP hoodlums garbed in National Security Operative uniforms to assault the Hon Sam Dzata George, innocent electorate and maimed some NDC supporters in the Ayawaso West Wuogon By-elections.
“Your Petitioner says that given the infamous and unenviable track record of Hon Bryan Acheampong in organising NPP hoodlums to unleash violence on Ghanaians, his statements on the 8th day of April, 2023 border on national security threats and democracy and should not be taken lightly.”
Earlier, the NDC issued a statement signed by Fifi Kwetey which read, “The NDC condemns this utterly reckless and treasonable comment in no uncertain terms. We note that Bryan Acheampong is the latest of high-ranking officials of the NPP to make such brazen statement that reveals the party’s deep-seated determination to subvert Ghana’s democratic order.
“At an NPP delegates conference in Kumasi in 2021, President Akufo-Addo expressed his determination to ‘hand over to an NPP government in 2025’. This eerily reminds everyone of the Nana Akufo-Addo-led desperate attempts to steal the 2008 elections in the strongroom of the Electoral Commission and other attempts by his desperate party to put dead bodies in water bodies in the Volta Region, all with a view to subverting the will of the people in that critical election.”
NPP’s Response
But the NPP, in a counter statement issued by its General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, said “The NPP finds the NDC’s statement not only ill-founded, hypocritical, illogical, and baseless, but also one that lacks contextual substance for the consumption of the discerning Ghanaians who are not oblivious to the modus operandi of the main opposition party in deliberately putting diabolic and mischievous slant to an otherwise innocuous comments of the Member of Parliament in furtherance of their selfish political interest.”
He said it was in response to this myriad of reckless and treasonable comments from the NDC that Mr. Acheampong gave encouragement to supporters of the NPP, who may feel intimidated by the many threats coming from the NDC, that, under no circumstance should they feel intimidated because the NPP has men of courage who can rise to the defense of our democracy and the 1992 Constitution of the Republic as enshrined in Article 3 of the Constitution.
“It is thus nerve-wracking to see the very persons who have over time made the worst of unguarded statements, and acted in a manner that has the potential to subvert the nation’s democratic order and plunge the country into chaos and instability, to turn around and cry foul of a statement that seeks to energise the base of the NPP, give assurance of hope to party faithful and the Ghanaian citizenry. Ghanaians are fully awoken to such gimmicks by the NDC,” he pointed out.
“From the foregoing, if anybody has to be arrested by the police for treasonable comments, then certainly it is John Dramani Mahama for his continuous “Do or die for the NDC” in reference to the 2024 general elections, and Asiedu Nketia for his brazen proclamation that members of the NDC are willing to sacrifice their lives to win the 2024 elections.
“We wish to conclude by once again assuring the good people of this great nation that the NPP remains a peace-loving party and would not do anything to jeopardise the peace and security of the state. We hold the enviable title as the bastion of democracy in Ghana and on the African continent, and this, we intend to guard jealously. The 2024 general elections shall be free, fair, and the most transparent elections in the Fourth Republic, and by the grace of God, the NPP would emerge victors to continue our transformation agenda,” he added.
By Vincent Kubi