The leadership of the Ghana Police Service, has met the national leadership of the two leading political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), over recent petitions for the arrests of some prominent political figures.
The Police in a statement issued on April 17, 2023, said the meeting which took on Monday, was in the presence of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, and it offered the parties the opportunity to air their grievances, particularly on recent comments made by political actors which were deemed to be provocative.
“The Police this afternoon met with the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the National Police Headquarters In Accra.
“The meeting which was called at the instance of the Inspector-General of Police was necessitated by press statements issued by the parties and subsequently followed by petitions to the Police Service with each party calling on the Police to arrest certain individuals of the other side for some alleged offences.
“At the meeting, both parties were given the opportunity to air their grievances. The main issue raised by them was in respect to comments by some political actors from both sides of the divide considered to be inflammatory,” parts of the statement by the police read.
The police also indicated that it updated the political parties on measures it is taking to handle the 2024 elections and other political issues in the country.
It also updated the parties on investigations into recent political violence in the country including the ones seen at the NDC Youth and Women Congress in Cape Coast and the NPP constituency elections in Enchi.
The NDC, in a statement issued by its general secretary, Fifi Kwetey, called on the Ghana Police Service to as a matter of urgency arrest Bryan Acheampong for the “NPP will not hand over power to the NDC” comments he made which they described as treasonable.
Fifi Fiavi, also said that his party will resist any attempt aimed at subverting the will of the Ghanaians people.
“As the political tradition that ushered in our nation’s stable constitutional order, the NDC will do whatever it takes to resist the misrule and machination of the oppressor and thus protect and preserve our democracy.
“We urge the Ghana Police Service to act with dispatch in this matter. We recall the alacrity with which it recently apprehended and charged the Suame Constituency Youth Organiser of the NDC for expressing views that were deemed to be inciteful,” Kwetey stated.
He continued: “No one is in any doubt that the statement of Bryan Acheampong is even more incendiary and subversive. We, therefore, expect the same level of speedy action from the Ghana Police Service in arresting Bryan Acheampong and bringing him to book.”
The NPP, while reacting to the petition issued by the NDC, also issued a counter-petition calling for the arrest of former President John Dramani Mahama and the party’s National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah for previous comments they made.
“If anybody has to be arrested by the police for treasonable comments, then certainly it is John Dramani Mahama” for his continuous ‘do or die for the NDC’ comment in reference to the 2024 general elections, and the Chairman of the main opposition National Democratic Congress, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, “for his brazen proclamation that members of the NDC are willing to sacrifice their lives to win the 2024 elections,” parts of a statement issued by the National Organiser of the NPP read.
In related development, Martin Amidu, a former attorney general and minister for justice, has slammed the nation’s security apparatus for not inviting the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, for his “NPP will never hand over power to NDC” statement.
In a statement, the name nicknamed Citizen Vigilante, suggested that Acheampong’s statement is likely to be treasonous and, therefore, merits an investigation.
He added that other Ghanaians are currently being prosecuted for treason for similar statements they made but no action is been taken on the minister’s comments.
“There can also be no law enforcement institution under Nana Akufo-Addo’s regime that will dare invite Bryan Acheampong for investigation for suspected treason or high treason for his speech in Mpreaso even though everybody knows that others are on trial for mere social media posts for treason and other related offences.
“The 1992 Constitution has with our condonation been reduced to the adage, might is right,” the former attorney, who was Akufo-Addo’s first special prosecutor, wrote.
He also slammed National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs for their criticism of Bryan Acheampong’s comments since they were the ones who approved him to be minister against the will of Ghanaians.
“Bryan Acheampong, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, is a recent creation of Parliament after assurances by the minority to the nation that the six ministerial nominees would never be approved due to the effect of the already over bloated government and government expenditure on the economic wellbeing of citizens.
“It is amazing, therefore, to listen to some Members of Parliament criticizing Mr Acheampong’s Mpreaso speech,” he wrote.
Bryan Acheampong, after a walk dubbed “Walk to Build A Better Ghana” with a multitude of New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters at Mpreaso-Kwahu in the Eastern Region on Saturday, April 8, 2023, stated that the ruling NPP will never hand over power to the opposition NDC in 2025.
He cautioned that the NPP will show the NDC that they have the “men” should they try to use threats and violence in the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.
“The NDC party will collapse. If the NDC dares to use threats, violence, and foolishness in the 2024 election, we will let them know we have the men. We will show them that we have the men.
“We have the men. It will never happen that we, the NPP, will stand on a platform to hand over power to the NDC. It will never happen! We will make sure NPP remain in government at all cost,” Acheampong, who is also the MP for Abetifi, said.
