A section of the demonstrators
Hundreds of supporters of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) yesterday took to the streets of Accra in a protest dubbed “Yɛn Suro Ahunahuna”, aimed at drawing government’s attention to what it described as state-sponsored harassment and abuse of power under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
Clad in red T-shirts and carrying placards with bold inscriptions, protesters converged at the Obra Spot near Kwame Nkrumah Circle as early as 8:00 am, highlighting difficulties ranging from political witch-hunts to alleged bias its members were facing since the NDC assumed the reigns of power.
Some of the placards had inscriptions such as “Sack IGP, Yohuno Now, he is a disgrace to the Police Service”, “EOCO Must Stop dancing to NDC Drums”, and “We Won’t Sit Quietly as Mahama Turns the Judiciary into a Kangaroo Court,” among others.
The demonstrators marched from Circle through Nima Police Station, continued to the Sankara Interchange, and ended at the Ghana Police Headquarters.
NPP’s National Youth Organiser, Salam Mustapha, led some officials of the party to present a petition to the Ghana Police Service, urging the institution to apply the law fairly and impartially, regardless of political affiliation.
In his address, Salam Mustapha bemoaned what he called a growing culture of selective justice, warning that it threatens the integrity of Ghana’s democracy, citing recent arrests of prominent NPP figures including the Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe aka Abronye DC and Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Chairman Wontumi, while accusing the police of failing to act against NDC members such as Chairman Sofo Azorka, who threatened to kill some members of the opposition party.
“These arbitrary arrests and the inaction towards others embolden lawlessness. The Police Service must not become a tool for political intimidation,” Mustapha said.
Receiving the petition on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, DCOP Gariba Shaibu, Director of Technical Operations, assured the NPP leadership that their concerns would be forwarded to the Police Management Board for consideration and appropriate action.
After leaving the Police Headquarters, the protesters proceeded to the Jubilee House, where a copy of the petition was submitted to officials at the Office of the President at about 12:30 p.m.
Chief of Staff at the Office of the Vice President, Alex Segbefia, who received the document, promised to engage relevant stakeholders, including the Ghana Police Service, on their concerns.
Several senior party figures took part in the demonstration, including NPP National Organiser Henry Nana Boakye, popularly called ‘Nana B’, NPP Deputy Communications Director, George Krobea Asante, former CEO of the National Lottery Authority Sammi Awuku, MP for Weija-Gbawe Jerry Ahmed Shaib, former Health Minister Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, and Deputy Finance Minister Abena Osei Asare, among others.
The protest was largely influenced by the arrest of the NPP Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe on September 8, who was charged with publishing false news and offensive conduct likely to breach the peace.
These among other issues sparked outrage among NPP supporters, who view it as part of a broader attempt to silence dissent and intimidate opposition voices.
The NPP has vowed to continue holding the government accountable and defending what it calls the principles of justice, fairness, and equal treatment under the law.
Sammi Awuku, in an interview, commended members of the party for standing firm against what he described as harassment and intimidation, vowing that the party would not allow its leaders to be silenced.
“I’m happy that the NPP’s young folks have risen to the occasion and are also clear in their minds that they will resist oppressors’ rule and speak against injustice, and also speak against the harassment and intimidation and the deliberate gagging up of opposition party leaders; this we will not allow,” he stated.
The National Organiser of the NPP, Henry Nana Boakye, accused the John Mahama-led administration of eroding democratic principles by allegedly weaponising state institutions to target political opponents.
“By virtue of my level of education, training, and personal values, there is a way I will put a point across which might look to you very proper. But you have others who also want to make a point but might not have the training and intellect to do so. They will speak in a blunt manner, sometimes in an insulting manner, but the beauty of democracy is that all such people are tolerated in society,” former Minister of Health, Bernard Okoe Boye stated.
The former minister emphasised that democracy thrives on the tolerance of diverse opinions, even when they are not expressed well and, therefore, warned against the arrest of individuals who express their opinions.
Such arrests, Dr Okoe Boye indicated, could silence citizens who may be afraid of arrest, hence affect innovation in the country’s body politic.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah