Our Democracy Is Under Siege -NPP

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has declared that Ghana’s democracy is “under siege,” accusing the Mahama-led administration of systematically undermining constitutional governance through political interference in the judiciary, selective justice and the alleged weaponisation of state institutions against political opponents.

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Friday, the National Organiser of the party, Henry Kokofu (Nana B), alleged that the acquittal and discharge of former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu, marked the latest example of what the party described as a dangerous erosion of the rule of law, under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

According to him, the decision of the Court of Appeal to overturn Attionu’s conviction was not an ordinary judicial outcome, but part of a wider pattern that threatened the country’s democratic credentials.

“What we witnessed yesterday (Thursday) was not an isolated judicial outcome, it was the unmasking of a system,” the party declared, adding “When the institutions charged with dispensing justice become instruments of injustice, silence is complicity.”

The party further alleged that the acquittal was “politically motivated, orchestrated and planned,” insisting that the decision had raised serious concerns about the independence of the judiciary and the administration of justice in the country.

The NPP argued that while the acquittal has generated widespread public debate, it should not be viewed in isolation, but as part of what it termed “the systematic collapse of constitutional governance” under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration.

According to the party, recent developments including the removal of the former Chief Justice, the handling of politically sensitive court cases, alleged selective prosecution and the withdrawal of criminal cases involving some former NDC officials collectively point to what it described as an attempt to compromise key democratic institutions.

It further alleged that state institutions, including investigative and law enforcement agencies, were increasingly being used to intimidate political opponents while government-affiliated persons allegedly benefited from favourable treatment.

“The message this government sent to the world yesterday is chilling: in Ghana today, accountability is for opponents and impunity is for friends,” the party stated.

In one of its strongest criticisms, the NPP alleged that the country was operating a two-tier justice system.

“Steal for the party in power and the law will find you innocent, oppose the party in power and the law will find you guilty,” it claimed.

The party maintained that the Attorney-General had abandoned his constitutional responsibility of protecting the public purse by discontinuing or withdrawing criminal prosecutions involving persons affiliated with the governing party.

It cited cases involving former officials of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), UniBank, Saglemi Housing Project and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), arguing that the decisions created the impression that justice was being applied selectively.

Turning to the judiciary, the NPP also questioned the decision for two High Court judges handling politically sensitive cases to continue sitting during the legal vacation, arguing that the move created the perception of undue haste in prosecuting opposition figures.

“Justice hurried is justice buried,” the party asserted, warning that expedited trials involving political opponents risked undermining public confidence in the courts.

As part of its demands, the NPP called on the Attorney-General to immediately discontinue all criminal cases involving former appointees of the Akufo-Addo administration if similar prosecutorial discretion had been exercised in favour of persons linked to the NDC.

The party also demanded a public account of all criminal cases involving government-affiliated persons that had been discontinued since January 2025 and urged the Judicial Council to take urgent steps to restore confidence in the justice delivery system.

Additionally, it called for the acquittal and release of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, arguing that his conviction was politically motivated and unsupported by sufficient evidence.

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