NPP Petitions Presidency and IGP Over State-Sponsored Harassment, ‘Return of Culture of Silence’

Accra, September 23, 2025 — The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has formally petitioned President John Mahama and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohunu, over what it describes as an alarming rise in state-sponsored harassment, intimidation of political opponents, and a disturbing return to Ghana’s “culture of silence.”

In a strongly worded petition, the NPP accused the current administration of weaponizing state institutions — including the police, judiciary, National Security, EOCO, and the National Investigations Bureau — to suppress dissent, intimidate opposition figures, and clamp down on press freedom.

According to the petition, since the Mahama administration assumed office on January 7, 2025, the country has witnessed increasing attacks on journalists, social media activists, and members of the opposition, with several being subjected to arrests, detentions beyond the 48-hour constitutional limit, and what the party calls “onerous and punitive bail conditions.”

The petition cited a number of incidents, including:

• The arrest of social media activist Daniel Adomako, alias Sir-Obama Pokuase.
• The detention of journalists such as Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah and others affiliated with Wontumi TV.
• The arrest of the Bono Regional NPP Chairman, Kwame Baffoe ‘Abronye’, allegedly for comments directed at the IGP.
• High-profile cases involving Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Wontumi), former Buffer Stock CEO Abdul-Wahab Hanan Aludiba and his wife, who were all subjected to what the party described as “unreasonable bail conditions.”

The NPP further accused the government of double standards, alleging that while opposition members face heavy-handed treatment, ruling party members engaged in similar conduct go unpunished.

The petition also raised concerns about alleged midnight raids on the homes of former government officials, violations of constitutional provisions on bail, and what it described as the “capture” of the judiciary following the removal of Chief Justice Araba Torkonoo.

Calling the development a “betrayal of Ghana’s democratic principles,” the NPP demanded immediate action from President Mahama and the security agencies to halt what it called the criminalization of speech, persecution of opposition members, and interference with press freedom.

The party’s demands include:

1. An immediate end to political harassment and persecution of NPP members.
2. An end to the criminalization of speech and intimidation of journalists and social media activists.
3. Transparency from the police regarding the petitioned arrest of NDC Vice Chairman Awudu Sofo Azorka.
4. A halt to midnight “Rambo-style” arrests of opposition members.
5. Arrest and prosecution of NDC Constituency Communications Officer, Abdul Wahab Amadu, over alleged threats against NPP leaders.
6. An end to the weaponization of state institutions.
7. Judicial independence and equality before the law for all Ghanaians.
8. Support from civil society, the media, and religious and traditional leaders to resist what the NPP calls “state-sponsored tyranny.”

“We in the NPP remain resolute in our commitment to uphold the rule of law, protect the constitutional and human rights of citizens, and restore public trust in our democratic institutions,” the petition concluded.

Story by Eugene Kwasi Nyarko