By Richard Ahiagbah, Director of Communications, NPP
I do not use the word siege lightly. What is happening in Ghana today is not politics as usual. It is a deliberate, systematic dismantling of the freedoms that define us as a democratic republic, and every Ghanaian, regardless of whom you voted for, must be deeply concerned.
I respectfully urge all Ghanaians to pay urgent attention to what this government is doing in our name, through our institutions, and at the expense of our rights.
A court forecasts the future under Prez. JM
Let me be clear about Mr. Kwame Baffoe Abronye’s detention.
The basis for his detention is, without exaggeration, among the most troubling judicial developments since Ghana’s independence. The prosecution argued, and the court accepted, that Abronye would commit a crime at some unspecified future time. No evidence of an ongoing offense. No demonstration of immediate danger. Just a claim, and a judge accepted it. That is it.
The courts are not oracles. Judges are not prophets. The freedom of a Ghanaian cannot be taken away based on guesses dressed up as law. What happened in that courtroom was not justice. It was a judicial theatre, performed for political reasons.
I must also note that the written ruling was issued 7 clear days after the detention order. Seven days. For a bail decision. Ghanaians deserve a convincing explanation for the unusual delay, and I am appealing to the Judicial Service of Ghana and the Ghana Bar Association to demand one. Because when courts become tools for political convenience, every Ghanaian suffers, not just opposition members.
15 Ghanaians. 15 reasons to worry
Beyond Abronye’s case, I want to list fifteen other Ghanaians, not terrorists, not criminals, but ordinary men and women, who have been arrested and face prosecution for comments they made on social media:
1. Sir Obama
2. Fante Comedy
3. Baba Amando
4. Prince Ofori
5. Yayra Abiwu
6. Emmanuel Kwakye
7. David Afful
8. Akosua Jollof
9. David Essandoh
10. Okatakyie Afrifa
11. Akyenkwa Nana
12. Charity Defe Tetteh
13. Priscilla Duah Brago
14. Gordon Asare Bediako
15. Alfred Ababio (Adentan Kumi)
I mention these names deliberately because they are mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters, your neighbors. They only spoke out, and now they are paying a price no democracy worth the name should impose. Ghana has quietly crossed a dangerous line. We are in the early stages of a digital police state, and most Ghanaians are beginning to notice it.
I say to every Ghanaian reading this that the list of names above could someday include yours if we do not resist the onslaught. The time to oppose the criminalization of speech is before the door closes, not after. Once that door is shut, it rarely opens from the inside, because they become precedent that shapes the conduct of succeeding governments.
But Ghanaians can trust the New Patriotic Party and not fear the degeneration of democratic values under a Bawumia Presidency. This is because we are committed to free expression, judicial independence, and every democratic value enshrined in the 1992 Constitution. A government that aggressively restricts the fundamental rights of its citizens loses all moral authority to demand civility or restraint from those whose freedoms it suppresses.
The NDC-Mahama government must understand that a democracy without free speech is not a democracy. It is managed silence, a false appearance of governance behind which fear controls everything. What keeps our democratic fabric intact today is not the goodwill of this administration. It is the fierce, unbreakable determination of the Ghanaian people to persevere, to resist, and to voice their opinions when it matters most.
That moment will arrive on December 7, 2028. And we will not forget the oppression and suppression of our rights.
To my brother Abronye, I encourage you. You are not alone. The storm is real. The injustice is real. But so is Ghana’s resilience and our solidarity with you. This certainly shall pass. Our forebears endured worse, but in the end, they prevailed. Take heart, and know that we shall overcome.
Do not be intimidated. Do not be silenced. Free speech is not a privilege to be granted by governments when it suits them. It is our inalienable right, and it will be restored under President Mahamudu Bawumia and the New Patriotic Party. But for now, speak on because it is your right, paid for and guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution.
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