The Minority Caucus has condemned what they describe as a deliberate campaign to suppress dissent in Ghana, highlighting the harassment of Journalists, opposition figures, and social commentators through arrests and intimidation.
The caucus, in a statement issued by Jerry Ahmed Shaib, 2nd Deputy Minority Whip and MP for Weija-Gbawe, warned of rising threats against political leaders, including the Minority Leader and other key figures, amid reports of assassination plots. He called for the Police Service to act impartially and investigate these threats, “accusing the government of fostering a climate of fear, betraying democratic principles”.
The Minority blamed the government for authoritarian tendencies, citing judicial persecution, executive overreach, and security failures, warning that these actions threaten Ghana’s democracy.
Below is the full statement:
9th September, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STATEMENT BY THE MINORITY CAUCUS ON THE REMAND OF MR KWAME BAFFOE (ABRONYE DC) AND THE GROWING CULTURE OF POLITICAL PERSECUTION AND ABUSE OF POWER
The Minority Caucus expresses grave concern over the arrest and remand of Mr Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Mr. Baffoe was arraigned before the Accra Circuit Court today and remanded into police custody until Friday, 12th September, 2025, on two charges of alleged “offensive conduct conducive to a breach of the peace.” The circumstances surrounding Abronye DC’s arrest and detention reveal a disturbing pattern: the government is increasingly weaponising the judicial system against perceived opponents. This vague and overly broad application of the law falls far short of international standards of legal specificity. Even more troubling, his arrest follows attempts to seek political asylum in eight countries, citing persecution and threats to his life. The denial of bail and his remand clearly suggest punishment, not justice.
This case is not isolated.
We see a deliberate and systematic campaign to suppress dissent:
- Journalists, social commentators, and opposition figures harassed through arbitrary arrests and detentions.
- State security deployed to intimidate citizens who expose corruption or question government narratives.
- A climate of fear where ordinary people hesitate to exercise their constitutional right to free expression. Such orchestrated persecution is a betrayal of the democratic principles upon which Ghana was founded. The Minority Caucus stands in solidarity with all voices of dissent and affirms their right to hold government accountable without fear of persecution. Meanwhile, government neglect of urgent national crises is glaring.
In northern Ghana, communal violence has claimed at least 31 lives and displaced nearly 50,000 people, with more than 13,000 forced to seek refuge in Côte d’Ivoire.
This is not just a local tragedy; it is a regional humanitarian emergency that shames our nation.
That citizens must cross international borders to find safety is an indictment of a government that has abandoned its basic duty to protect its people. 2 Our northern compatriots deserve urgent intervention, not the neglect and indifference that have characterised the state’s response so far.
Political witch-hunts cannot be used as a smokescreen to deflect attention from this humanitarian disaster.
We also draw attention to an alarming escalation of threats against political leaders, including the Minority Leader, Hon. Osahen Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, our Chief Whip, Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, and our National Organiser, Mr. Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B).
Reports of assassination plots, issued openly by NDC executives and their associates while the authorities look away, signal a dangerous deterioration of democratic tolerance.
This climate of intimidation is not a partisan issue, it is an assault on democracy itself. Such threats violate international democratic norms and cannot be dismissed as mere local politics.
They demand immediate, serious investigation. The Ghana Police Service must rise above partisanship, abandon its current posture as a tool of the ruling party, and guarantee protection for all political actors, regardless of affiliation.
The Minority Caucus reiterates that this government has abandoned its constitutional obligations, choosing instead the path of authoritarian consolidation. Judicial persecution, executive overreach, economic manipulation, and security failures have converged into a perfect storm that endangers both democracy and development in Ghana. We remain resolute in our commitment to uphold the rule of law, protect human rights, and restore public trust in our democratic institutions.
Ghana’s democracy is too precious to be surrendered to fear, intimidation, and authoritarian excess.
-END
Signed Hon Jerry Ahmed Shaib
2nd Deputy Minority Whip, MP for Weija-Gbawe
