Out! David Asante-Apeatu, IN! James Oppong-Boanuh
THE PRESIDENT, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, yesterday relieved David Asante-Apeatu of his position as Inspector General of Police (IGP).
No specific reasons were assigned to the decision for his removal.
A statement from the presidency signed by Director of Communications, Eugene Arhin said, “The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Monday 22nd July, 2019, directed the Inspector General of Police, Mr. David Asante-Apeatu, to proceed on leave, with immediate effect, pending his retirement from the Ghana Police Service on Wednesday, 14th August, 2019.”
The President thanked him for his many years of service to the country, and wished him well in his retirement.
In his place, the President has asked the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. James Oppong-Boanuh, to act as IGP until a substantive IGP is appointed in accordance with the Constitution.
No Reason
Even though no reasons were assigned to the decision to have the IGP proceed on leave before his contract date would elapse, some believe it may be as a result of recent developments in the Police Service.
Mr. Asante-Apeatu was believed to have surrounded himself with officers perceived to be working against the current administration.
Partisan Officers
Recently, his Executive Secretary, Chief Superintendent Peter Launchene Toobu resigned from the Police Service to contest as parliamentary candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Wa West Constituency of the Upper West Region.
Prior to his retirement from the service, Toobu who by dint of his position as Executive Secretary to the IGP was privileged to have a lot of information. He embarked on a number of social media campaigns in which he launched subtle attacks on the Police Administration and government.
Some came in the form of self-promoting videos and write-ups usually posted on his Facebook wall. All this happened under the watch of Mr. Asante-Apeatu without queries.
To make matters worse, the embattled National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, in his infamous leaked audio, boasted about the opposition party’s inclination towards persons in the Police Service.
The resignation of the superintendent and quickly picking nomination forms provided an impetus for some people to question the intelligence efficiency of the IGP.
Second NDC Cop
With a second cop resigning, and he too swiftly picking nomination forms in the Okere Constituency of the Eastern Region, the Ghana Police Service appears to be laden with partisan cops whose professionalism is in doubt.
Intense Lobby
There has been intense lobbying for the position of the top police job in the past few months in the face of heightened discussions about the end of the two-year extension given Mr. Asante-Apeatu.
For the first time in the history of the Ghana Police Service, the position of the IGP has been placed in the public domain (social media), especially being used by supporters of the contenders to project their desires.
Critics of policing in the country have taken a swipe at the practice of contracts offered to some top cops claiming that it is ‘a morale dampener’ and should be avoided.
It is a practice which originated from the NDC era and now threatening to make a comeback as superior police officers resort to lobbying to get that golden handshake of two years extension.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent