Mahama's stance on speech-related arrests draws fire from NPP and PNP figures

Pinned summary · as of 15:51

President John Dramani Mahama is facing criticism from opposition figures over arrests linked to alleged insults against public officials, after he voiced unease about some of the detentions. The NPP's Richard Gyamfi and the PNP's Janet Asana Nabla have each accused him of inconsistency, and demonstrations have been held over the treatment of detainees.

What we know

• Mr Mahama has spoken publicly about the arrests and disapproved of some of them. Metro TV host Moro Awudu recalled that he learned of them through the media, and Janet Asana Nabla, the PNP's 2024 presidential candidate, dismissed his disapproval as political optics.
• Richard Gyamfi of the NPP National Communications Team, speaking on Metro TV's Good Morning Ghana, accused the President of hypocrisy, while Ms Nabla accused him of pretence and of acting against his public image.
• The arrests have moved onto the streets. Mr Gyamfi pointed to demonstrations and appeals over the treatment of those held, and women protested in Accra under the Women's Voices Matter banner.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

• ?
  Mr Gyamfi argued that the President cannot claim ignorance of the arrests, given that he heads the National Security Council and commands the security services, and called them political arrests. He conceded that a president cannot follow every arrest. This is his view alone.
• ?
  Mr Gyamfi said the President's remarks left two readings, either hypocrisy or a loss of control over his own government. He also cited remarks attributed to Mr Mahama about opponents to argue that the President has himself used harsh language, adding that he was not defending insults.
• ?
  Bernard Baidoo, the Akwatia MP, accused the NPP of hypocrisy for criticising the President, pointing to a BBC interview in which former President John Agyekum Kufuor said lawbreakers are for law enforcement agencies to deal with. Mr Baidoo also recalled arrests under the Kufuor administration. The NPP has not been reported as responding.
• ?
  Ms Nabla alleged that the government is manipulating state security agencies to intimidate and silence critical women, and that Mr Mahama and the NDC made harsh remarks about the previous government without facing arrest. The government has not responded in the reports.
• ?
  Ms Nabla said Mr Mahama's pledge of 30 per cent of appointments for women has turned into 30 per cent arrests of women, criticised him over an unfulfilled promise of a Women's Development Bank, and warned that protests would spread nationwide unless women held for criticising the government are freed.
• ?
  Rainbow Radio Online reported that Mr Mahama warned that security agencies would use IP addresses to track and prosecute people who insult public officials online. No other report carries the warning.
• ?
  Rainbow Radio Online reported that the Accra protest concerned Salomey Awity Baffoe, described as a senior nursing officer aged 40 who has three children and comes from Techiman, and that demonstrators called the arrests unlawful and a threat to free speech. These details come from one report.

Why it matters for Ghana

The row goes to how far Ghanaians can criticise public officials, on social media and in the media, without facing arrest. Families of people held over their comments, and women's groups who have taken to the streets, want clarity on who orders such arrests and on the conditions of bail. Where the President stands on the police and security agencies also affects public confidence in how they use their powers.