The leadership of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on the Ghana Police Service to immediately arrest and prosecute former President John Mahama and the National Chairman of the opposition NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia.
In a petition written to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Police Service yesterday, the NPP National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, alleged that the NDC apparatchiks had made treasonable remarks that portend great danger to the peace and stability of the country.
He said the two personalities wield influential positions in the country, and as such, any dangerous comments from them could jeopardize the country’s security.
Mr Mahama has proudly touted across various platforms the revolutionary roots of the NDC, and its unparalleled capacity when it comes to unleashing violence for political gain. He has also said the NDC’s approach to the 2024 elections would be “do or die” and “boot for boot” affair.
On the part of Asiedu Nketia, he has repeatedly threatened that the 2024 general elections would be “bloody and that NDC is willing and ready to sacrifice lives to ensure victory in 2024”.
Speaking following his chairmanship victory, he said: “It is time for members of the NDC to continue the fight to win the second independence of Ghana, and we are prepared to sacrifice everything, including our lives, for an NDC victory in the 2024 general elections”.
No delay
The NPP National Organiser, who is affectionately called ‘Nana B’, thus, wants the CID to work on the petition with alacrity as any further delay could cause a “great danger” to the country.
“Given the influential positions that John Dramani Mahama and Johnson Asiedu Nketiah occupy, the NPP is of the firm conviction that such criminally reckless and treasonable commentary coming from them portends great danger for the peace and stability of the State,” portions of the petition read.
It added that their comments have the potential to incite NDC supporters to disturb the constitutional order by resorting to some unorthodox and extra-constitutional means of changing a democratically elected government.
The petition noted that commentary by the two NDC bigwigs, taken together, constitute a patterned conduct aimed at inciting NDC party to employ all means including violence to capture electoral victory.
According to the petition, their comments constitute a veiled threat to overthrow the constitutional process established for conducting general elections in the country.
Bad example
The NPP further contended that it was such reckless commentary coming from them that recently emboldened one of their own, the NDC Youth Organizer for the Suame constituency in the Ashanti Region, who brazenly proclaimed that the youth of the NDC were willing to kill people in order to ensure victory in 2024.
On account of the foregoing, it stressed that if such dangerous commentary is to be eliminated from Ghana’s body politic, then Mahama and Nketia cannot be immune from arrest and investigations.
The reason, the NPP said, is because the principle of equality before the law is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic.
“Madam, the offence of offensive conduct conducive to the breach of the peace that remains on our statute books is to forestall conduct such as the above, that is capable of inciting others to violence and untoward practice, especially considering the influence of the individuals involved,” the petition added.
Such utterances, the petition stressed, should not be made by any patriotic citizen, much more, a former President and Chairman of the largest opposition party.
Treasonable
It further bemoaned that the commentary borders on treason as it threatens the peace and security of the State, with the propensity to erode all the country’s democratic gains made in this Fourth Republic.
“Consequently, and given the fact that statute of limitation does not apply to criminal conduct, I pray your esteemed office to immediately arrest, investigate and prosecute Former President John Dramani Mahama and Chairman Asiedu Nketiah for their unbridled and pernicious conducts as aforementioned,” the petition added.
It, therefore, requested the CID’s immediate intervention to save the country’s democracy and the Fourth Republican constitutional order. This, the petition noted, would serve as a deterrent to any person, regardless of status.
“Kindly find attached for your indulgence, videos, audios, publications and other relevant materials in support of our petition for the immediate arrest, investigation and prosecution of John Dramani Mahama and Johnson Asiedu Nketiah in accordance with your mandate under the laws of the Republic of Ghana. I trust that you would promptly act on this petition given the graveness of the matters raised. Thank you in anticipation of your usual cooperation,” it concluded.
