The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has formally petitioned the diplomatic community in Ghana, raising alarm over what it describes as a systematic assault on democratic freedoms, the criminalisation of political dissent, and the weaponisation of state institutions against opposition figures under the administration of President John Dramani Mahama.
The petition, signed by NPP General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong and Minority Leader Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin and dated May 19, 2026, was addressed to heads of diplomatic missions and international development partners accredited to Ghana.
The opposition party contends that since the NDC government assumed office on January 7, 2025, Ghana has witnessed a troubling pattern of politically motivated arrests, midnight raids, arbitrary detentions, and the selective prosecution of individuals perceived to be sympathetic to the opposition.
Central to the petition is the case of Mr. Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, the NPP’s Bono Regional Chairman, who was arrested and arraigned before Circuit Court 9 in Accra on charges of offensive conduct conducive to breach of peace and publication of false news. His alleged offence was criticising a judge and questioning judicial impartiality.
More alarming to the party was a court’s refusal to grant him bail on the grounds that he might repeat the comments if released — a development the NPP described as a grave violation of constitutional rights to free expression and the presumption of innocence.
The party listed at least 14 members and sympathisers it says have been subjected to harassment, prosecution, or intimidation, including Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, MP for Assin South; Mr. David Essandoh, arrested over a social media post on power outages; and Mr. Alfred Ababio Kumi, known as Adenta Kumi, arrested following public commentary on judicial proceedings.
The NPP further raised concerns about the deployment of the National Investigations Bureau, the Ghana Police Service, and EOCO against opposition figures in what it termed “Rambo-style” arrests and dawn raids on private residences.
The party also expressed alarm over the recent removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, arguing it had fuelled public perception that judicial officers risk victimisation for ruling against the Executive. The NPP warned that erosion of judicial independence threatened the very foundation of constitutional democracy.
On the question of selective justice, the party noted that despite petitioning the Ghana Police Service over violent attacks on NPP officials during the Akwatia by-election, allegedly involving NDC-affiliated individuals, no action had been taken.
The NPP is calling on the international community to monitor Ghana’s human rights situation, engage the government on the misuse of criminal prosecutions against political speech, and demand an end to politically motivated detentions.
“The culture of silence must never return to Ghana,” the petition concluded.
The government of President Mahama had not issued a response at the time of publication.
By Kingsley Asiedu
