This video presents a detailed constitutional analysis of Ghana's 1992 Constitution, specifically Article 19(2)(c) which establishes the presumption of innocence and bail rights, and Article 21(1)(a) which protects freedom of expression including political criticism of public officials. The speaker argues that criminal prosecution for speech that could be addressed through civil remedies represents a deliberate political choice rather than legal necessity, and that courts denying bail based on potential future speech violate constitutional guarantees of personal liberty and due process. The presentation emphasizes that the culture of silence in democracies arrives incrementally through selective arrests and remand orders, and that the judiciary must serve as guardians of liberty rather than instruments of political power.
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We are happy to have you here uh this afternoon where to address you very shortly. But before I do that, let me uh do a brief introduction here. uh we have uh very senior people with us here this afternoon and uh I'll introduce them and then uh our minority leader would uh come to address us. Uh seated here with us is um our deputy minority leader in parliament.
Our mother, the hardworking Madame Honorable Patricia APJ is with us.
Uh seated by her uh is the Ashanti regional chairman of our party.
Uh the very popular wound to me is here.
Uh also I see my good brother, former MP for Yendi, uh my brother Ali Mouhamma is here. Faruk Ali Muhammad is here. Uh of course the hardworking minority chief whip, deputy minority chief whip is here. Uh my good brother Jerry Ahmed is here. Uh the national organizer of our party Nabi is here. Henry Nanabachi is here with us. And of course my own deputy is here. George Kroia Asanti is here. The deputy general secretary of the party Haruna Muhammad is here. And of course the man to address you this uh evening.
the minority leader of the new patriotic party, the honorable Osahin Allesander Aeno Min is here uh to address you. Um and as you know uh we going forward we'll be engaging you and often maybe on Sundays and it will be a partnership between the party and our caucus in parliament. And so I am to serve this notice for you that going forward you'll be seeing this partnership between the party and the minority caucus in parliament working closely to advance the advocacy of the people of Ghana and we always will invite you to join us. So at this point, without taking too much of your time, let me welcome to the podium the minority leader of Ghana's parliament, the honorable Alexander Aeno Mend to address you.
Good evening to you ladies and gentlemen of the press.
Thank you for responding to our invitation upon a very short notice.
This evening I am privileged to have been nominated by the party to address you on this all important matter that borders on our constitution.
One of our ownwame baffron has been arrested remanded by a court which is supposed to be a court of justice under normal circumstances.
The party considers this a constitutional outrage.
The arrest itself the so-called prosecution and the remark.
But before I set in motion the submission of the party expressing his view on this disturbing matter.
Let me refer to the 2015 2016 one supreme court of Ghana law report specifically at page 175 in the matter of Martin Ku number two versus the attorney general number two in writ/13/2025.
This reported case was delivered on 5th May 2016.
I shall rely on the general view of the courts in their declaration.
Quote, "Article 19 C of the 1992 Constitution has given a suspect under investigation or an accused on trial the benefit that he was innocent until the court had found him guilty after a a hearing or following a plea of guilty.
The grant of bail was one of the tools available to the court to ensure that a suspect or an accused as the case might be was guaranteed his innocence until the court had found him guilty.
The presumption of innocence in terms of article 192C of the constitution embodied freedom from the from arbitrary detention and also served as a safeguard against punishment before conviction.
It also served as a preventive measure against the state from successfully employing it vast resources to cause greater damage to a person who has not been convicted than he could inflict on the community. Therefore, any legislation outside said so that will be clearly contrary to the letter and spirit of article 192C which has guaranteed his innocence until otherwise declared by a court of competent jurisdiction.
End quote. and specifically my lord Duchi JS who was part of the majority at page 176 of the law report said in these veritable words which I quote article 192C of the constitution takes precedence in the laws of Ghana And any law found to be inconsistent to this constitutional provision must on the basis of article 21A and 131B of the constitution of the constitution of 1992 give way and be declared inconsistent and in contravention of constitution of the constitution 1992. In my opinion, section 967 of act 30 as amended is one such legislation that is inconsistent with the constitution. The general tenor of section 96 of act 30 which deals with grant of bail in general therefore gives way clear gives very clear indications.
On the whole, the courts have a discretion to grant bail to persons appearing before them in criminal cases upon conditions stated therein. The abstin of grant of bail in section 967 is therefore odd and unnecessary interference with the discretion of the court. The lead judgment of the court delivered by my brother Ben Benning JSC striking down 967 of act 30 as amended as unconstitutional in which I concur is not a cut blunch for the court to admit every Tom Dick and Harry to be pending trial because the removal of the statutory shackles in the impug section 967 of criminal code offenses act 1960 act On the strength of this, I set in motion the concerns of the party in respect of the remand ofwami bafo abon our bono regional chairman.
Ladies and gentlemen, this evening the party is here deeply troubled by what is happening in our country.
What has been done to Mr.Wam Abbron also known as Abra DC Alon regional chairman is a profound constitutional wrong.
It must be condemned without equivocation without apology and without delay. The arrest itself the prosecution and remand of a citizen for word spoken in the public square is not justice. It is persecution.
Now, let me be honest about where the party stand.
The party does not condone irresponsible speech.
We never do and we never will. Public discourse carries responsibility and we believe deeply in that.
Where speech genuinely damages a person's reputation, Ghanaian law already provides a remedy, a civil remedy, measured, proportionate, and designated precisely for that purpose.
It's been designed to achieve one a to allow a person who is injured to resort to civil reliefs.
But what Ghanaian law does not provide and what it was never designed to provide is the conversion of a civil grievance assuming without admitting that one even exist in this case into a criminal prosecution.
It does not authorize the marching of a man before a circuit court, the stripping of his liberty and his consignment to state intelligence facility.
That is not justice.
That is not that is the annual fist of state power wearing a legal globe.
On the 13th of May May 2026, Mr. Abbron was arraigned before circuit court 9 here in Ara. He faces two counts. First, offensive conduct conducive to breach of the peace under section 2071 of the criminal offenses act 1960. Second, publication of false news under section 2081 of the same statute. And what is the foundation of these charges?
A social media video in which Mr. Abon criticized a circuit court judge. He questioned that judge's impartiality.
He questioned the conduct in the discharge of the public duty as provided for in the judge's judicial function.
That is the sum total of his alleged crime. He spoke he criticized a public officer.
By the way, since when did criticizing a judge become a criminal offense in Ghana?
Section 2071 requires conduct that is likely to breach that is likely to occasion a breach of the peace.
Political criticism of a public official however sharp does not meet that threshold. It is protected expression under under article 211A of the 1992 constitution.
and the false news charge.
A man expressing a political opinion about judicial conduct is not publishing false news. Not by any honest reading of that provision.
This prosecution of abil and we the party will watch it for the bail denial.
A judge who forgot his oath. By the way, that was not his first.
Let me turn to what happened in that courtroom.
It demands its own separate and pointed rebuke.
Council for Mr. Abu presented a bail application.
He argued on solid grounds.
The charges as we all know are misdemeanors.
The accused as he was it was made known to the court has a fixed place of abboard.
He is a known public figure with reliable shities. His health and family responsibilities were played before the court. The prosecution opposed bail on one ground only.
That Mr. Ab if released was likely to commit similar offenses. I repeat according to the prosecution in opposing the bail application it said that if Mr. Abbron is released, he was likely to commit similar offenses. In other words, the state act asked the court to imprison a man before any findings of guilt because he might speak again. His offense was speaking and surprisingly a court agreed.
A citizen was therefore in prison not for what he did but for what he might say. That is not law. That is censorship from the bench.
That reasoning is a constitutional disgrace.
It is irreconciliable with article 14 and 19 of the 1992 constitution which guarantee personal liberty and the presumption of innocence.
A judge who denies bail because an accused may continue to express political opinions has not administered justice. I say what I'm about to say as a practicing lawyer as someone who has spent his professional life in courtrooms who has profound respect for our judiciary and deep admiration for those who carry the weight of dispensing justice. I say it is I say this not in anger but infidelity to the constitution I have sworn to uphold and with all the candle, humility and respect I can command.
When a court denies bill not to serve justice but to serve silence, it has administered political censorship from the bench and that with the greatest respect is A BETRAYAL OF EVERY PRINCIPLE that gives judicial office its authority, it dignity and its legitimacy.
Now let me specifically deal with the nature of the remand. It was a BNI remand and indeed even so there is a missing court order no court order drawn.
Every remaining doubt about the political character of this prosecution is removed by the decision to remand Mr. Abbron into BNI custody.
The BNI by law is Ghana state intelligence and security service. It is not a remand prison. It exists to address genuine threat to national security. Mr. Abra posted a a critical video about a judge. That is not a national security matter. It never was.
This has nothing to do with a criminal justice and everything to do with political intimidation.
But there is something even more alarming. I want every Ghanaian to hear this clearly. Even those who hate the guts of Abon must at least listen to this matter.
It has now been 4 days since the court pronounced the remand order.
4 days as I understand it on the basis of information available to the party at the time of this statement.
council moved up and down the courtroom, the registry DEMANDING FOR CERTIFIED remand order.
The court order as at Friday has still not been drawn.
I therefore simply ask a simple question. On what legal basis did the Ghana Police Service take Abbron into custody and conveyed him to the BNI?
On what legal basis the BNI accept and held him?
A remand order is not a verbal instruction. IT IS A FORMAL JUDICIAL INSTRUMENT.
It is a written legal authority upon which the deprivation of a citizen's liberty must rest.
was a Ghanaian citizen delivered into intelligence custody or nothing more than a word of mouth. If so, that detention has no documented lawful foundation whatsoever. SO I ASK AGAIN, THE DIRECTOR GENERAL of BNI, did you receive any court order accompanying Abra's detention?
If so, can you provide a copy? IF NOT, WHY DID YOU ACCEPT HIM?
And I asked my lord, if my LORD THINKS HE'S BOLD ENOUGH, WHY IS he running away from his own court order?
By the way, that circuit court nine records are immediately tied.
As you are making your submissions, the cler is typing. SO WITHIN 5 minutes after court the records of court must be ready.
Why has it taken days and at close of business Friday the order was so not ready? What is the jet trying to tell us? Is he trying to change what he has said in open court that Abra should remain in custody until the case is finally determined not even to the next agenda date.
His language was clear. Is he a running away from his own language? Is he afraid of public outrage against his own conduct?
Article 14 of the 1992 Constitution requires that no person shall be deprived of his personal liberty except as permitted by law and that every arrested person shall be informed immediately in a language he understands of the reasons of his arrest.
The constitution therefore puts before the Ghana Police Service, the Bureau of National INVESTIGATION AS WELL THAT circuit court 9 which was supposed to be precided over by a judge who has taken a JUDICIAL OATH. A CLEAR and unambiguous notice of the civil liberties provided for by the constitution. THESE ARE RIGHT GUARANTEED FAR RIGHT.
THE PRODUCTION OF A SIGN AND CERTIFIED Roman order is not a technicality.
It is A CONSTITUTIONAL IMPERATIVE. ITS ABSENCE, if confirmed, would rather render this detention not merely improper but unlawful.
What we are witnessing is either a criction of duty or a raw and deliberate exercise of power designed to show a political opponent where the power lies with due process and afterthoughts.
So the NDC party functionaries who are encouraging this you should know that your four years is now left with some 2 and 1/2 years.
Your time will come.
Those judges should know that President Muhammad Tenner will soon come to an end.
They should know this that God willing 2028 will be Dr. Bier.
>> Indeed, we are reminding them that NEITHER EXPLANATION IS ACCEPTABLE in a constitutional democracy.
Both demand accountability.
Now we see the ghost of criminal liel.
coming back buried by Kufur but resurrected by President Muhammad.
There's a deeper dimension to what this government is doing and it must be named plainly.
On 27th July 2001, Ghana's parliament unanimously passed the criminal code act 2001 act 602 which repealed the criminal liel and sedicious laws. President John Kungu gave his ascent on 2nd August 2001 striking from our statue books one of the most notorious instruments of state censorship this country had ever known.
That repeal was a defining moment in Ghana's democratic maturation.
a declaration that in free society the state has no business imprisoning citizens for what they say.
The bill was presented to parliament by Nana Adangqua Akuad the attorney general as he then was the world applauded.
Ghana was held up as a model for Africa.
But before we go further, let me be precise about one important historical fact.
THE CRIMINAL liberal law was not created by the PNDC or NDC.
It is a colonial inheritance drafted in 1893 by the British colonial administrators and embedded in our statute books to suppress dissent against imperial rule. Dr.Wamin Kuma, our first president, inherited it at independence. It was codified in our criminal offenses act 1960.
The law predated the Rollins era by decades. But what historically what but what history will never forgive the PNDC and NDC for is this. They weaponized that colonial relic most ferociously, most systematically and with the greatest cruelty against the citizens of a free Ghana under PNDC military regime of Jerins, journalists, academics, lawyers, trade unionists and ordinary citizens were arrested, detained without trial and tortured with and tortured for daring to speak. The culture of silence was not a metaphor. It was a lived reality enforced by brute state for power.
Mr. Tommy Thompson, publisher of free press and Mr. Michael J, a senior writer in 1982 were among those in prison without trial for editorial editorials critical of the PNDC.
Mr. John Kub Kublenu the editor was separately arrested in 1983 and detained without charge before being transferred to insaw prison. He died in 1984 shortly after his release. His health destroyed by the conditions of his detention. He was never charged. He was never tried. He simply died for daring to write. Tommy Thompson himself continued to face harassment and repeated prosecution and died in 1998.
His death a direct consequence of brutalities he endured in his long fight for press freedom. Two men to death. The blood is on the hands of that regime.
Abdul Marik Quubaku Jr. was arrested and tortured under the PNDC.
He has spoken publicly about being being made to crawl the full length of military parade square on his knees until they bled, about being cane on his waist, about 25 days at the F's engineers facility that left him physically impacted.
About losing control of his bodily function for days on end, all for speaking truth to power. Ques Jr. was jailed and tortured during that same period. So was Akotampa and many others whose names history has not fully preserved.
Then came the NDC in constitutional form. And even under the democratic dispensation, the party found uses for the criminal liel law it had inherited.
On 23rd July 1998, two of Ghana's most respected newspaper editors, the same Abdul Malikubaku Jr.
of the guide and Allah of Weekend statement were convicted by the court of appeal and sentenced to one month in prison. Their crime publishing a story about the former first lady. They were despite to separate prisons, Akusi, Winnib and Anumabo, in a deliberate attempt to break their spirits and prevent visit from supporters. Images of Quubaku and Arunata in handcuffs being m to prison are edged in the collective memory of every Ghanian who loves freedom. In 1996, editors Nanaku Fukumin of the Ghanaian Chronicle, Ibin Isawaku, and Tommy Thompson of the Free Press were arrested and charged with publishing false news with intent to injure the reputation of the state.
Those exact words, publishing false news, the same statutory weapon this government is now deploying against Abon.
And when the call came to repeal the criminal liel law, the then NDC chairman Obered Yawa Samoa who had also served as attorney general under Rollins government declared publicly that the law could be repealed over his dead body over his dead body. That is the NDC's historic relationship with free speech.
That is the tradition President Muhammad now chooses to continue.
The NP abolished the law that the NDC swore to keep and now the NDC is quietly rebuilding what the NP tore down. Now the Mohamad administration unable to openly reverse the that landmark reform without international condemnation has chosen a more cunning path. Rather than restore criminal liber by name, it is reconstructed the criminal liberal regime in practice, hiding behind sections 207 and 208 of act 29 to achieve through the back door what it cannot defend through the front.
The charges against aba amando deando and others are in substance and in effect criminal liberal prosecutions. The only difference is the label on the charge sheet. The intent is the same, the mechanism is the same, the consequence is the same. Arrests, remand, imprison, silence.
President Kufur abolished criminal liel to set Ghana free. President Mahama is rebuilding it brick by brick to cage opposition. So I asked President Mama, is this the legacy your second coming is leaving Ghanaians with?
I pray it is a no.
When civil remedies exist, criminal prosecution is a political choice. I repeat, when civil remedies exist by law, criminal prosecution is a political choice. And that is the choice this government has made.
I made this point earlier in these proceedings when I started and I return to it now because it serves it deserves to be stated plainly and in it full legal force. Ghanaian law already provides a civil remedy for any person who genuinely believes they have been defamed. It has always been there. It exists today. The Greek party may approach the civil court. They may sue.
They may place their case before a judge. They may walk away with their reputation vindicated and with damages in hand. Not a single arrest is required for any of that. Not a single bail application. Not a single remand into BNI custody. The civil law achieved the stated objective, the vindication of reputation without any of those consequences. This government knows that or ought to know that. It lawyers know that or ought to know that. The prosecution officers know that or ought to know that by their training. And yet case after case, the criminal route is chosen over the civil one. That choice is not a legal necessity. It is a deliberate political decision. AND THE PURPOSE IT SERVES IS NOT THE vindication of any reputation. It is the suppression of voices. When you want to protect your name, you go to the civil court. When you want to punish and silence an opponent, you send the police. This government has made a choice. Not once, not twice, but repeatedly and with a purpose. The Ghanaian people can see it exactly for what it is. Now, we can see a pattern, not an incident. Ladies and gentlemen of the press, let no one tell you this is an isolated case. The rights of M P members for things they have said or posted in public are too numerous to catalog here. We have documented case after case since this administration assumed office on 7th January 2025. The list grows longer by the week. Let me mention just a few. David Asando, M P Auna West constituency organizer arrested by approximately 10 armed national security operatives. His crime posting an image of President Mahama with a caption Dunaw is back. But isn't Duno back?
10 armed officers for a Facebook post about electricity outages afflicting millions of Ghanaians. Then Mr. Abu Baka Yakubu, M Punyani East Communications Officer, popularly known as Baba Amandu, arraigned before an Ara circuit court, remanded, tied with offensive conduct, pause for publication and circulation of statement likely to incite fear and panic.
The same judge court circuit court 9 the agenda court the NDC court and let me repeat it that NDC judge he must be ashamed of himself Mr. Alfred Abbeumi known as Adente Kumi was arrested by operatives of the National Investigation Bureau in a dramatic dawn raid on his home. His wife suffered a miscarriage as a direct consequence of that raid. his crime, submitting a petition to the president concerning the conduct of committee members sitting on the chief justice removal proceedings and making comment in media interviews and on social media about the same matter. He was formerly charged with publication of false news under the same statutory provision being used against Abonia today.
And there's a case of Reverend Inim Fjo, a member of parliament fasinsa and a ranking member of defense and interior committee of parliament. This is a sitting member of parliament, a duly elected representative of the people.
Again, BNI operatives attempted a raid on his residence after he raised concerns about two aircraft that visited Ghana and alleged possible links to drug dealings and money laundering. It took his colleagues in the minority caucus to physically resist attempted arrests. Dr. Ba, our flag bearer, himself had to visit him to reassure him that a member of parliament should require reassurance that he remains free after raising matters of national security concern in the discharge of his public duty is a statement of the most alarming kind about where this country is headed. And now Abbron remanded into BNI custody for criticizing a judge. There are no isolated incidents. They are selected examples from a deeply troubling and growing list.
That judge has no respect for his own judicial oath.
I don't think he read the law.
That circuit court n I have no respect for him.
FOR A J TO SAY THAT HE'S REMANDING ABRO into BNI CUSTODY UNTIL THE CASE is finally determined.
Such a judge will can never have my respect.
>> I pray that he summons me for contempt.
I I will continue to disrespect him until he upholds the law.
>> HE'S GONE BEYOND HIS JUDICIAL FUNCTION AND IT IS NOT HIS FIRST. IT'S AS IF HE HAD been he had BEEN SELECTED PURPOSELY TO ACHIEVE THIS. He doesn't talk law. I don't know whether he ever pass his law in.
It's a shame.
It's a shame on the judiciary and my lord baffi must pay attention TO THIS FOR WHATEVER IT IS. It's about his legacy. I'm told by December he will be 70 and he'll be gone. Is that a legacy he wants to leave?
>> After Tokonu was booted out of office and all manner of accusation leveled against Tokonu. Is that the judiciary?
>> The judiciary they said they were going to reset. Is that a RESET WHERE A JUDGE WILL say he is remanding an accused because if he allows him to go home, if he grants him bail, HE'S LIKELY TO TALK AGAIN. So he should REMAIN IN CUSTODY.
IN FACT, AT FIRST HIS PRONOUNCEMENT WAS THAT AB should go to int.
HE'S ALREADY PREJUDIZED THE OUTCOME of the case. And this man say he's a judge.
I should respect him. No, no, no, no.
Our flag bearer Dr. Muhammad Barumia has rightly described as an unholy collaboration this conduct I mean between the executive state investigative agencies and some element within the judiciary aimed at silencing the MPP. He is right more than right. The pattern is undeniable. This is state sponsored political persecution and it must stop.
Now a word to the judiciary.
You are TO BE THE GUARDIAN OF LIBERTY NOT INSTRUMENT OF POWER.
I NOW ADDRESS YOU MY RESPECTED LEARNED MEMBERS OF THE BENCH AND I'VE USED RESPECTED advisedly and I DO SO WITH GRAVITY. THIS MOMENT demands the 1992 constitution, my lord, VES JUDICIAL POWER IN YOUR HANDS as the judiciary and charges YOU WITH THE SOLEMN MANDATE TO BE INDEPENDENT GUARDIANS OF THE rights and liberties of the Ghanaian people. Article 1253 DECLARES THAT JUDICIAL POWER OF GHANA shall be vested in the judiciary.
Article 127 fortifies that with a guarantee of independence, these are not ceremonial provisions.
They are the constitutional foundation upon which every citizen's liberty ultimately rest. IT IS WITH THE DEEPEST CONCERN THAT THIS PARTY NP OBSERVE HOW THE courts have conducted them itself in this matter. A BAIL APPLICATION GROUNDED ON ORTHODOX legal principle was dismissed on a basis that no serious reading of article 14 and 19 of the constitution can sustain. A citizen has been REMINDED INTO THE CUSTODY OF AN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE ON MISDEMEANOR CHARGES. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE OLD PRINCIPLE OF LAW THAT SHOULD ALL MEN FIND A MAN'S hand in a tail, his guilt must be proven?
under his lordship, Bafub Bunny's leadership, you are guilty before you are pronounced guilty. You are guilty before full trial. So my lord baffie justice My lord, judge, SUPREME COURT JUDGES, COURT OF APPEAL JUDGES, HIGH COURT JUDGES.
CONTEMPT.
They went through similar ordeal and never broke them.
At every turn, AT EVERY TURN, THE SCALES HAVE TILTED NOT TOWARDS THE PROTECTION OF LIBERTY, but toward ITS CAILMENT. A COURT THAT ALLOWS ITSELF TO become a tool FOR SILENCING POLITICAL opponent has ceased to be a guardian of liberty.
It has become a participant in its destruction.
I am aware of the climate in which our judiciary is operating. I am aware that this is a government that has shown it is capable of defiling our constitution to haul a sitting chief justice out of office. I am also AWARE THAT SOME MEMBERS OF THEIR JUDICIARY MAY be afraid. They look at what was done to chief justice tokonu and ask themselves whether standing up for the constitution is worth the personal costs. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT FEAR. BUT THERE ARE SOME ALSO WHO ARE STILL WEARING PARTISAN COLORS AND ARE REFUSING TO look at the law AND THEY ARE BENT ON TAKING BACK DOOR INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE executive to do their bidding. Those must change their attitude and respect the human rights of every Ghanaian irrespective of their party color.
The people of Ghana look to the court as a last line of defense when the executive overreaches.
The trust is earned by the fearless and impartial application of CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES, ESPECIALLY when the person before the court is politically convenient to those in power.
A judge who surreners to fear and becomes a timmerous soul too intimidated to defend the constitution and the rights it protects is no longer a judge. He has become an instrument of the powerful.
A COURT THAT RESERVES IT CONSTITUTIONAL courage for safe and inconsequential cases and abandons it precisely when it matters most has dishonored the robe. I call upon the high court TO TAKE URGENT COGNIZANCE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES of Mr. Abbron's detention INCLUDING THE REPORTED ABSENCE OF A SIGN AND certified remand order and do the needful Now Ghana has been here before. The culture of silence does not announce itself with a decree. It does not arrive at your door with a proclamation.
It arrives as likely like this incrementally and surgically. A COMMUNICATOR of a party is arrested. An organizer is picked up there. A regional chairman is reminded into security into security remand. The message respent costs. The Mohamad administration has calculated that intimidating MP communicators and silencing its regional leadership will allow it to govern without accountability and shield its mounting incompetence from scrutiny.
That calculation is profoundly wrong and it will fail. It will not work.
The NP will not be guarded. Not by arrest, not by bail denial, not by BNI DETENTION, NOT BY ANY INSTRUMENT OF FEAR. THIS government deploys the freedom to speak to criticize power and to hold governments accountable is not a privilege guarant granted by any administration. IT IS A CONSTITUTIONAL BIRTH right and it cannot be revoked by any government on earth. Aba's voice may be temporarily caged. Let the government understand clearly. Thousand voices will rise in it place.
And that is not a threat from the party but rather IT IS THE UNBREAKABLE promise of Ghanaian democracy. We are reiterating now our demands. We make the following demands and they are non-negotiable.
FIRST MR. BAFU Abra might be relieved from BNI custody immediately.
His detention is constitutionally indefensible and must end today. SECOND, OUR LEGAL team will mount full constitutional challenge to this prosecution including challenge to the application of 20 sections 207 and 208 of act 29 against political speech where civil liberties are available and adequate. Third, Parliament's constitutional, legal, and parliamentary affairs committee shall upon assumption of parliament be made through an application to summon the inspector general of police, the director general OF BNI TO PUBLICLY ACCOUNT FOR EVERY decision taken in this matter. The chief justice is not also above the law. Parliament will use every law under its command to summon the chief justice. They must all be answerable and let the majority and let the majority know this IN THE EFFORT BY THE MINORITY IN ENSURING THIS is done. They should not try to stampede it. IT IS GOOD FOR DEMOCRACY AND WE CALL ON THE MAJORITY TO SUPPORT IT BECAUSE TOMORROW THEY may be in opposition and they may need this very law to protect them. I repeat >> for OUR FRIENDS IN THE MAJORITY IN PARLIAMENT.
I CALL FOR THEIR COOPERATION EVEN AS THE MINORITY IN SUMMONS THE CHIEF JUSTICE.
The IGP and the director general BNI to appear before parliament they should support us. They should cooperate. It is a democratic responsibility. They shouldn't for partisan consideration decide to stampede us with their numbers. If they do one day they will regret it. If they do, THEY MAY WIN WITH THEIR NUMBERS.
>> BUT ONE DAY, >> by 2029, >> they will be shouting on the rooftops asking for the Lord to protect them. We will tell them that when the time came, they condone, they coned and supported it.
>> We pray that day, that day will not come. We need to end this vicious cycle in our political system. It is better for this country to sit together and work around the relevant issues that would ensure the growth of our democracy. And that is our demand on the NDC. TODAY AGAIN WE CALL on civil society, independent media and legal the profession. They must add their voices now. The time to defend freedom is always before it is fully lost, never after.
Again, we call upon the high court TO TAKE URGENT COGNIZANCE of Abra detention and the reported absence of a signed and certified Roman order. The risk of Habai's corpus exists for precisely this moment. The judiciary is as large line of defense between citizens and the unchecked power of the executive. We call upon THE JUDICIARY. IF INDEED if indeed IT IS THERE TO UPHOLD justice to intervene and treat it as an isolated situation, then we can respect them.
Then we can trust them and believe them that it is not supported by the system as a whole. AND AGAIN THE CONDUCT OF THIS JUDGE AT CIRCUIT COURT 9 is now a pattern. They should call him to order and we should see a disary action by the chief justice against this judge.
Finally ladies and gentlemen let me say on behalf of the party that the people of Ghana made a solemn covenant with themselves and with and with history. They said never again shall the machinery of state be turned against citizens right to speak. Never again shall political opinion be treated as criminal conduct. Never again shall the instrument of national security be weaponized to detain political opponents for the convenience of a certain government.
And to THOSE IN THIS GOVERNMENT, I repeat, who believe they can abuse power without consequence, I say this clearly and on record, the day of justice and accountability will come. It will come under this parliament or the next, but it will come.
That is not a promise. That is a constitutional certainty.
We build this democracy to last.
We will defend IT IN THE SAME COURTS WHERE THERE SEEM to be some injustice in parliament where there is advocacy of the people and in the full glare of public opinion like this platform the party has chosen to speak with every constitutional weapon at our very disposal. The culture of silence New Patriotic Party.
and was not Regairman was court.
It was to prison until Supreme Court.
Bill Supreme Court.
that they were offensive.
ruling.
Meanwhile, court within 5 minutes after proceedings.
within 5 minutes.
Second chance.
Second chance.
woman.
Police Parliamentity, Director General, IGP, Chief Justice, Session 207 208 WHY THERE BUSINESS AS usual politics?
Because they have to Because already they on their way out 2028 election 2028.
It is your own interest.
Minister and then they brought him to Ara. That was the information we had. We had several calls from the constituency from the region and this morning the general secretary leading the team we combed round all the security institutions in Ara. We went to police C. In fact, even at the police, we went to the special investigation unit before we even also before that we had visited the cyber crime unit and all of them denied knowledge of the whereabout of David Asando.
All of them.
Then we had a hint that he could be at BNI.
Again, we went to the BNI led by the general secretary. We sat there for a while. They said they were checking and we had reports that oh he was not with BNI.
Then we went to national security at national security when they checked they said he was not there. But then we went to their SWAT unit and it was confirmed to us that signals bureau undertook this operations.
We again went to signal bureau and we were told that they brought him to BNI. Look, is this happening under President Mama?
I'm surprised that President Muhammad is so pretending over such oppression, such suppression of free speech.
how a net Ghana this is where we are and then we eventually went to national security where we were told that he's been brought there they interrogated him and he was granted bail ladies and gentlemen we are not in good times at all let me on this note Welcome our leader who led us through all of this from morning till now. We've been coming.
Let's welcome the general secretary of the new patriotic party to address us on this issue. Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, from the media, we thank you for your patience in waiting that seeks to undermine our democracy, that seeks to undermine our rule of law.
We kept you waiting because we wanted to have more information as to the whereabouts of our constituency organizer for Auna was just as the national organizer enumerated to you last night. We received a desperate call from the regional party led by the regional chairman that their constituency officer have been kidnapped by some group of men who came to his shop and they had no knowledge of where they were sending him to. In fact, throughout the night, we made several calls from the regional police command, the regional DNI, all the security operators in the region.
Then went further to contact the various headquarters of the security agencies.
Then we said let's wake up in the morning and follow up as to what was really happening.
He did to our dismay and alarming shocking and a serious indictment on our democracy was when we went to all these security agencies and none of them could tell us the whereabout of the constituency organ organizer for Aguna West.
Indeed, we went to the police C because originally they had invited him to appear before them on what the national organizer referred to the publication of allegedly publication of false news.
And the C claimed they had no knowledge about the said in invitation and they had not indeed affected any arrest to the extent of even detaining him. Then from the C headquarters we came to the Bureau of National Investigation and again there too they sounded very dismayed that they had no knowledge about the whereabouts of our constituency organizer David Eando.
We proceeded to the national security also and they also made a further statement that they have no knowledge about where he was.
then to the National Signal Bureau and they also deny knowledge of the whereabouts of the constituency organizer.
But because we also as a political party deals with intel, eventually we able to assertain that our brother was being held at the National Signal Bureau and was soon transferred to BNI.
Ladies and gentlemen, the danger and the dangerous precedent that this government is setting is to give room for bad and people with malicious intention to have the appetite to kidnap people in this country because today Ghanaians are living in fear because tomorrow you don't know who show up in front of your house to detain you or to arrest you and to take you to unknown places because state security institutions which are supposed to protect the liberty of individuals who are supposed to guarantee our our peaceful existence claim not to have knowledge of whereabout of citizens.
Eventually when they realized that what they were doing was illegal and unconstitutional, we were told that he was at BNI.
So we went there and I must commend the officers there that they did their professional job.
They interviewed him. They took his statement and they gave a caution statement for us to sign for them to release him for us. Indeed, tomorrow they've asked that we go or go back to them at 9:30 in the morning which the new patriotic party will honor such an invitation. Let it be on record that as a political party that believes in rule of law, as a political party that believes in democracy, as a political party that believes in due process, we are not scared of our members being invited, even being arrested or being detained. But it must be done in the right procedural manner. Yes, >> it must be done in the right procedural manner because there's a reason why our constitution article 14 talks about where a person is arrested detained.
There should be communicated to the person the reason for his arrest or detention and the right of him to have a lawyer of his choice.
But when our brother was arrested or in quote kidnapped, he was not told of the crime that he has committed and he was denied access to a lawyer.
And this is something that we want to bring it to attention that let us not continue to remain quiet and silent about the barbaric activities and actions of this government because tomorrow the table will turn and to be the same media who will be in the forefront accusing our government that we are rich hunting people.
Meanwhile, they have set the president and this is not the country that we all wish for.
At least after PNDC era where people abducted and disappeared, we've gone far as a country. Why does his excellency President Muhammad and the NDC want to take us back?
It's a shame to our democracy and as a new as a political party.
We will in the coming weeks be engaging members of the diplomatic cause. We'll be engaging the Christian council, the Islamic communities, all stakeholders in this country that our democracy is being attacked by the endis. In fact, our democracy is under attack by the endis and all of us is bestowed on all of us to rise up to defend our democracy. He bestow on all of us to safeguard our democracy because as a country as I indicated we've come from far and we don't need to go back to the days whereby people will be adopted or kidnapped and they will disappear. We don't need to get to that point and I want to use this opportunity to assure the rank and file of our party that we will never leave them behind. The new patriotic leadership will never leave them behind. Anyone who is maliciously arrested or detained, the party will come to the person's aid.
>> We will never leave them behind.
And indeed, I want to also assure them whenever you are arrested or detained, don't panic.
>> Don't panic and don't make any statement to whoever arrest or detain you until you have your lawyer beside you.
Because we know the mod of primeness of the NDC their actions is just to employ diversionary tactics when there are major issues confronting the country they want to divert attention so that people will not talk about it but the new patriotic party will continue to expose them and talk about the mish happiness in the country it's something that we will do to encourage our members that they should continue to be bold they should continue to speak their truth They should continue to expose the mishap happenings in the country and we can assure them that the party leadership will always be with them. So we thank you very much for joining us this evening and as we can see our brother is in good spirit. He's doing very well and he will not relax. He continue to do the work as a political person. He continue to do the work as a member of the new patriotic party and no amount of intimidation will coers him into submission. Thank you very much and God bless us all the new patriotic party. I take this opportunity to wish all our mothers, our caregivers and no women. So far we've been getting overwhelming feed positive feedback across the length and breadth of the country for the work that they are doing. Though there are few isolated challenges in some constituencies which we know in the coming days. the various police station executive uh police station elections committee and the constance executive committees and showing how people are participating in the Pune station elections and it gives me so much hope. it becomes so much refreshing that indeed the love is coming back and people are poised to serve the party and I commend them for the enthusiasm and the energy that they are exhibiting in the pooling station elections and we pray that you'll be able to carry this through to the electoral area elections the constituency elections regional and national elections so kudos to our party members and please let's conduct this exercise in the free, fair and transparent mother ma. So that at the end of the day it is the new patriotic party that wins and to learn lesson from the previous polling station elections whereby we suffered our party because people felt that they were prevented from taking part in this exercise. This is a very important opportunity for us to give every member of our party the chance to take part in this process. So kudos and I wish all of us the best of luck in the coming days as we go through the polling station elections.
Dear patriots, as we all recall after the 2024 elections, the National Council, which is the second high decision-making body of our party, form a 2024 elections review committee, which was chaired by Reverend Right Honorable Professor Mike Ironqu.
As part of the terms of reference of the committee, they were to conduct a comprehensive review of the party's activities across the pre-election, election, and post-election phases.
Again, to identify and analyze the root causes underlining the party's performance in the 2024 election. and thirdly to develop a strategic road map to reposition and rebuild the party for a decisive victory in the 2028 elections. The committee guided by the principles to facilitate the restructuring of the new patriotic party into a modern or embracing participatory and scientifically driven political organization.
address evolutional issues and challenges that has to do with governance and national development.
The committee in so doing identify three issues which culminated in our laws. One party issues, two government related issues and three campaign issues.
After the committee had submitted their report, findings and recommendations to the national council, it meant that we needed to go to the surgical room to analyze the report, review it and to implement it to the fullest. And this led to what we refer to as the reorganization structure or activities of the party.
In terms of the party issues, we all know that the new patriotic party has a tradition. A tradition which came out from the Dangqua Buzza do tradition which forms the historical and ideological bedrock of the new patriotic party and rooted in the principles of liberal democracy individuals decentralization and respect for rule of law as a party framed as a counterweight to authoritarianism and unbridled state control. Reflecting on the 2024 laws, therefore mandated evaluating how well the party had held to these principles and the need to identify where significantly the party departed from such such principles.
As a party known historically to have intellectual appeal, forwardthinking philosophy that attracted the middle class, businessmen and women, youth and so doing winning elections in various universities and other tal institutions. The question is how come we lost all these group?
At the end of the day, the party lost in 2024 elections did not just happen one day. It happened because over the years as a political party we departed from our ideologies and tradition and our loss in 2024 was a testimony and summation of years of departure from our DNA. That is who we are and what we stood for as a political party.
The first thing the party did to address these issues of bringing back our ideology and philosophy was the establishment of what we refer to as the Patriotic Institute which is to provide training for members and elected officers and also to carry out research to inform all research decisions that the party will undertake.
By so doing, we will always know who we are, where we have come from, where we are heading to, and how to get there. It is not strange that people join the new patriotic party and when they do not get what they want in the shortest time, they tend to leave. The patriotic institute will help us to im emulate the the selflessness of the party's founders ideology whereby we have people such as SD do the leader of the northern people's party with 11 seat in parliament to give opportunity to Dr. Ka Boozak who had only one seat to lead opposition in parliament again for us to position ourselves and to win elections in 2028 the new patriotic party needs to go back to our root to the root whereby people associated the NP for having appeal to various classes in the society whereby people were so proud to say that they have members of the new patriotic party because we had the men and this is what we have been doing in since 2020 2025 to bring back the love to the new patriotic party and this necessitated in us doing constitutional amendment in July 2025.
The essence of the constitutional amendment that took place in Lagon. One was for the party to expand our electoral college and the essence of expanding our electoral college was to address the issue of our party which we suffered in 2024 elections. The reason being that there were several people who felt that after having served the party in various capacities as constituency officers, as former members of parliament, as parliamentary candidates, as MMDC's, they did not have a voting right. This singular act whereby they were given the opportunity to take part in our presidential primaries re-energized the base of our party and now people feel that they are part of our party electoral process and so doing those who hither to did not take part in the 2024 elections have a reason to take part in the 2028 election because the party has recognized them. One key feature in our amendment that we did as a political party was to expand our electoral college at the pooling station. The pooling station offices from 5 to 7 with the introduction of the electoral affairs officers and communication officers and for the first time we are electing our communication officers. All these are part of the party's reorganizational structure and to make sure that we position ourselves for victory in 2028.
A key feature in the amendment also saw in the establishment of the communications committee of the national council.
This is something that the party had never had. And in our attempt to address issues of communication gap whereby people know that when it comes to record, the new patriotic party is on much in our political landscape. But the issue has always be the delivery and how to communicate our achievement. With the formation of the communications committee, the party is making a that attempt to address the historical issue and challenges that our forefathers in the UG UGCC era, the PFP era, in the UP era, in the NPP era suffered whereby we we were unable to counter and defend the propaganda from our political opponents.
With the establishment of the communications committee, it means that we have people who will sit back, analyze our communication structure, come up your proactive structures and policies that will help us to define in terms of our communication space. what we need to do as a political party and we are very sure that going forward people will see a different communication strategy from the new pat whereby it it is done in the scripted manner for all of us to follow so that we sing the same song and be able to stand up to the test of time when it comes to communication again one feature in the amendment that we did as a political party to make sure that we drive we address all the internal ISS issues is the establishment of what we refer to as the strategic committee. And the essence of the party strate strategic committee is to have a group of think tanks who will think for the party in the short term, mediate term and long term whereby it will not be that we win elections and as a party we forget that we have another elections coming up and the establishment of the party strategic committee all these address so that as a political party that we are guided by a blueprint on what we have to do in the short, medium and long term.
Again, the party has also created what you refer to as the electoral affairs committee. And it's very important as a political party, we have a electoral affairs committee to look at our electoral fortunes, to look at historical electoral uh h performance of our political party and also future elections on what we need to do in even going for elections. the strategies that we need to put in place in selecting candidates for various positions, parliamentary candidate, even presidential candidates. What do we need to do going forward in the future? All these are part of the structures that the party has put in place and the lessons that we have learned from the 2024 elections.
Dear patriots, preparations for 2028 elections has begun and we are going to a contest whereby a government would have been in office for 4 years. In order for us to make history to unseat the government which has been in government for 4 years, it means we need to do things differently. And they saw to us for the first time electing our presidential candidate even before party internal elections. And I quite remember when national council met to take that decision. It was then very unpopular for many people in our party and many people chastise us, many people insulted us, criticized us. But at the end of the day, after we stood firm and decided to hold the presidential primise first, people are now beginning to realize and I even realized that indeed the decision that the party took was a good decision.
And we have a presidential candidate who has enough time to put in place together with the steering committee, national executive committee and national council a resounding and water type committees that will be working hand in hand to make sure that we deliver in 2028 elections.
Colleagues, the essence of this engagement is to let you know that as a political party, we are working seriously to make sure that we win the elections in 2028.
Last week, Thursday, the National Executive Committee and subsequently the National Council met and in line with the party's constitution with reference to articles 106 1062 form the various standing committees of the party. Then with reference to article 1026, the national council as stated shall have the following committees. Finance committee, constitutional and legal affairs committee, organizations committee, research committee, national disciplinary committee, ver committee, electoral affairs committee, communications committee, political strategy and policy committee. All these committees are committees of the national council.
I've heard some comments by some members of our party as to why these committees were constituted and why didn't we wait.
Colleagues, you all agree with me that after the party has done amendment to our constitution, new committees were created and therefore it is the duty of the national council to make sure that we populate these committees and therefore having a flag bearer at this important moment. We cannot say that we are waiting for a letter date before we constitute this committee. just asituted the committees. Hi to the party has gone further based on our amendment to allow former executives to have a voting right which is also based on amended constitution and based on the same amended constitution the polling station elections that are being conducted the two additions that have been made they are all having they're all going to have a voting right in the constituent election in the same spirit you cannot choose one and leave the other and therefore it is important understand that as a party we have the standing committees of the national council and mind you as a political party the national council can at any point in time decide to review the membership of a standing committees. Again we make reference to article 1038 which gives power to the national executive committee to also form sector committees. And colleagues when I speak of sector committees this is not the first time the party has created a sector committee. The sector committees of the party existed as far back as in the early 90s from 19 between 1992 to 1993 whereby we have distinguished members of our party who were members of the sector committee and we will project to you those who were members of the sector committees in the early '9s. So that is for us to appreciate the essence of having sector committees in our party.
Colleagues, as I indicated to you, the new patriotic party is a political party who has been touted as being a liberal democrat. And these sector committees when they were formed in 1992 and if you recall M P did not take part in the parliamentary elections in 1992. And in 1993 when we realized that we couldn't leave the NDC alone just to govern this country and make mistakes. We needed to have an alternative whereby we have people with integrity with expertise to challenge the government on the various front in in that economy. For instance, you look at the finance and economic affairs committee back in the days. The people who were membership of the committee talk about you talk about Jones talk about Mr. Yafo I like Dr. A seni you talk about Tutu, you talk about Kofi Arau, you talk about Charles Reub and so a host of so many distinguished people. It takes you to different committees and you see that as a party we have constitutional and judicial affairs committee with chairman as her men either was part of that constitutional legal affair. Madame Gloria Kufu and a host of others including Malik Alhastan uh Yakub who were all part of these sector committees. You can go through and see the various sector committees that the party has foreign affairs committee. You talk about Mr. K. Mensah Bonu Mr. Ju then as a member of that foreign affairs committee talk about embra Afra and so many host of people who were part of these sector committees in 1996 between 1996 to 2000. The party again had several sector committees. We have Jh Mensa speaking on economy. We have Nado speaking on legal affairs. Akus speaking on housing. We have Kobar radio speaking on ed education professor Dominic Fobi Battels and those were the time that people refer to M P as having the men but when we won the elections in 2000 and afterwards the sector committee never ceased to work and that is where we are now as a party we are going back to our root to make sure that we have sector committees in every sector of our economy to take the government on to provide constructive criticism to offer alternative for to let Ghanaians know that indeed the NPP still have the men and therefore when national council met last week Thursday the party introduced once again what referred to as the sector committee and in so doing we took from our party's constitution which says that the party shall constitute a set of committees made up of people from parliament and outside parliament and in the vision of the flag bearer and the party.
We met at neck and national council. We deliberated upon proposals that were brought before us and the agreement was that PPP indeed has so many expertise have so many teaming youth who have knowledge in various field and therefore at least let's give opportunity to some group of people who will become what we refer to as leads of those sector committees. And once we inaugurate the sector committees on 25th May, we have the full membership of the sector committees. So the list that came out on Thursday has to do with the leads of the various sector committees but not the total membership of those sector committees and pictures. I can tell you that if you look at the criteria that the party used in forming these sector committees, people were drawn from various categories. We have certain members of parliament being part of the sector committees. We have diaspora representatives. We have people from the women's rank. We have people from the youth rink. We have people from the Nasara rink. We have former MPs. We have former ministers and deputies. your former CEOs and appointees your former MMDC's expert in the various fields academia and professional boards. All these group are those who are going to help the party to make sure that we provide policy alternative to the good people of this country for people to understand that as a liberal democratic party we indeed have the men. We indeed will not just criticize the NDC government for criticism sake but prefer alternatives and for people to appreciate the things that the new patriotic party did in the early '90s in shaping our democracy and promoting good governance and that is what we want to do as a political party. So colleagues, I came through this evening to assure the rank and file of our members that no one will be left behind. And on 25th of May when the party finally inaugurates the various setup committees you'll come to appreciate it that indeed from the social media from the youth ring from the women's ring from the academia from those who serve as former members of parliament those who serve as members of parliament those who are in parliament those who are in the diaspora for even our test everyone will be recognized and we appreciate the energy the love and the determination that all of you have shown and the commitment to work for the party. So colleagues, let us remain calm and wait for the leadership of the party to announce the various sectors come May 2025. On this note, I want to assure everyone that excellency our flag bearer Dr. Mouhammad Dubai in the spirit of reconciliation in a spirit of teamwork in a spirit of bringing everybody on board has everyone in mind. It does not matter whether he supported candidate A or candidate B. We don't have any faction in our party. What we have is the new patriotic party. There's only one faction which is the new patriotic party. So everyone should have the mindset that anyone who wants to play a role, anyone who want to support, who want to assist, who want to bring back the power, bring back the party to power in 2028 will be given the opportunity to serve. Thank you very much for your attention. God bless the new patriotic party. God bless all of us and all the activities that we have put into action.
Come 2028, the new patriotic party shall surely come back to power. Thank you and have a lovely evening.
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honest, I feel very sad for President I mean the betrayal of President John Ramani Mahama is monumental.
So there's a gentleman who came to the people of Ghana and said look there are problems with the country and I want to solve the problems in the educational sector in health sector and so on. He proclaimed a reset agenda and he uh he appointed people to assist him to to to realize that objective.
And many of the people he appointed to help him to realize that objective. They don't just care.
They don't care about reset. They don't care about restructuring the economy.
They don't care about anything.
All they care about is repressing him.
What?
Poor Mama.
Poor Mama. And he's sitting there being held hostage, you know, and he's not been able to crack the whip and they're dancing around him in circles and making nonsense of all the proclamations he has made. It's unbelievable.
Visit the NDC social media platforms and see what is happening there.
Who is talking about how to achieve the 24-hour economy.
That's not their concern.
It's about who is going to replace Mahama.
It's so sad. It's unbelievable. So he appointed these people to help him leave a legacy.
The people he appointed to help him to leave a legacy are saying to us that oh don't worry very soon you become a lame duck. That's what they say.
They say by next year you be a lame dog.
You have no power. We don't have to respect him. So let's start our campaign.
What?
Can you just imagine?
>> Don't you pity President Muhammad.
It's is so sickeningly sad. And what does this tell the people of Ghana? What this tells the people of Ghana is that those at the helm of affairs don't care about us. They don't care about us. It's about themselves.
The ambition to become president. And sometimes I wonder whether they understand what it means to be president.
Sometimes I suspect that is about just driving in convoys with sirens and and so on the trappings of office and quite frankly David some of the people who want to be president look at them do they look like presidents do you think they have the capacity to be president rubbish and it's happening all the time in spite of caution by well-meaning people is getting worse.
I know as a fact that the Council of Elders of the of the National Democratic Congress at some stage last year saw that this was causing a lot of problems and that it could divide the party, derail the party and push the party into a position and decided to take some measures. I know what business they took and I know who went to the council of elders of the NDC to to to promise that they were going to stop.
Have they stopped? It's getting dirtier and dirtier every day. It's sickening.
Look, I want to read portions of what uh Mustafa Bandi said, how it is reported in the Hawk newspaper. It says a storm is brewing inside the ruling National Democratic Congress as fierce mount that the party could be tearing itself apart over who succeed President John Ramani Mama.
At the center of the drama is Mustafa Fuo Brandi, Deputy General Secretary in charge of operations and also a senior figure at the presidency who has thrown a political hand grenade into the heart of the debate over secession.
In a blunt intervention that has sent shock waves through the party, Mustafa pos the explosive question, what if there's no flag bearer raised? His warning comes amid growing claims that senior party figures are quietly positioning themselves for power, sparkling what critics are calling early secession games.
inside govern. Mustafa didn't hold back, accusing ambitious party members of turning internal politics into a freefor all where where anyone with influence is allegedly trying to build a war chest ahead of a future contest. He warned that such behavior risk dragging the party into chaos arguing that the National Democratic Congress traditional method of leadership selection should not be replaced with open and controlled competition and so on and so on. You see how can I disagree with Mr. Fagbandi?
How can I disagree with him?
If you look at all the empirical studies which have been done, anybody who seriously is aspiring to be president to become presidential candidate of a political party which is serious about winning power ought to have $100 million in his back pocket.
>> Yeah. That was 2016.
>> His or her back $100 million.
>> Yes, he did. Yeah. So if that is at the back of our mind and you see this flurry of people and so on, doesn't that frighten you that five to 10 people think that they can raise $100 million from where to go and contest? That in itself is very frightening. Okay.
Now, anybody who declares that he wants to be a presidential candidate starts on the path of building a faction because it is A versus B versus C versus D. That already implies factionalism and the factionism is building up fast only one and a half years after winning elections.
It's sickening. It's dirty. is non sitting and I wonder why President Mohammer continues to allow this to to happen. I can't believe it.
It's not sitting. Look, I have ears that hear some things today. If you go into the government machinery, uh some department, some agencies, some setup is not working well. Do you know the excuse they give? Oh, you are not getting financing for a project because the finance minister is interested in becoming president and because he knows that I won't support him. He doesn't want me to succeed. It's all over the place. How do you tolerate that in government if you want to succeed?
How do you tolerate that in government if you want to succeed? You see the body body things that you see ministers talking to each other and so it's all superficial because deep down everybody has a dagger ready to stab the other so that they become presidents and it's happening.
>> Oh it's frightening and the example is given.
>> Why is it not frightening?
>> It's frightening.
>> Why are you asking whether it's happening? It's automatic.
>> Yeah it's frightening. Yeah. You see, if you have two ministers who all are determined to compete to succeed President Dama, do you think they'll cooperate?
Does every minister wants to have signed the other? What they have now is competition. It is not cooperation. It is competition. And it is a very dangerous thing to happen. And you see my brother let's be honest that is why you know me sitting here my respect for somebody like Aruna has increased when all this started he came out publicly said I'm not interested what I want to do is to help the president to achieve his agenda he set himself out that is why sitting here my respect for the vice president has gone up you know why because any tension She has been asked whether she's interested in succeeding Muhammad. She says no. Her priority is to make sure that President Muhammad succeeds.
Anything after that is is is another matter. The priority now is to make sure that the NBC and the president succeeds in delivering the promises that they made to the electorate. It's not about who replaces him.
Why? The mandate is for 4 years. The mandate is for 4 years.
We have entered the the the the 17th month after after assuming office.
All the key promises, how many of them have been achieved? And you're not focusing on achieving the key promises that you made to the people. Your focus is on pursuing a reckless ambition. It's it's unbelievable. Completely unbelievable.
Completely unbelievable. And in any case, all those clamoring to replace Mahama as well. Do they think that if President Mouhamad is not able, President Muhammad and the NBC are not able to deliver the promises they made to the people of Ghana, any of them can become president.
Their becoming president is contingent on the success of this administration not on their beauty or their handsomeness or the size of their pockets as well. It's about meeting satisfying the people of Ghana and they not concentrating on that.
All their concentration is on this useless and excuse my language.
There's no other word for a stupid competition for power.
It's unbelievable.
But you see, in the long run, in the long run, who is to blame?
In the long run, WHO IS TO BLAME?
WHY is President Muhammad Lord cracking the whip?
Why is he not sacking them? Why is he sitting there for people to dance, tumble around him and mess his his his administration? They're messing him up.
They're messing him up completely. The people he has appointed are not focusing on the job. They've shifted their focus of the job to personal ambition and it is time for them to go.
It is that if President Muhammad is serious about delivering on the promises that he has made to the people of Ghana, he needs an entirely new team which is focused on the job, not on personal ambition.
Why? What is happening? It's so sickening is unbelievable.
So sickening.
You understand? and and and I hope I hope I hope I want to hope that President Muhammad will crack the whip.
I want to hope that you will get a team which is focused on delivering the job.
A team who will not be sitting down telling the public that he soon become a lame dog, a lame duck, a team which will work with him to the finishing line.
You understand? A team which will be loyal to him. A team which will share his vision till the last day of his office. Not a team which is waiting for 18 months to election to dump him because he's a lame duck.
Why?
When he hears people referring to him as somebody who is just about to become a lame duck, how does he feel?
What President Hammer? You >> can somebody make this argument that these are presidential ambition procedures and the maneuverings that are so happening are just necessary evils.
>> My brother, listen to me carefully.
Listen to me. Who is making the argument?
>> Leadership leadership does not arise out of selfdeclaration.
>> This is empty self declaration. That is not how leadership arises.
Leadership arises out of commitment to a common goal.
Today, if people in this administration are seen to be working hard to solve the problems of Ghana and so on, they emerge as leaders.
It is not because they are proclaiming themselves as leaders or they are paying people to sing their praises. That is not how leaders emerge.
You know, and I made this point last Saturday.
If you join a political party, it means that your personal interests and ambitions have been subordinated to the collective ambition and interest.
You understand what they are doing shows that they have no respect for their party. When you are given a political appointment as they have been given, it means that you have no right to think about your own interests.
have to think about it that the interest of the NBC doesn't matter the interest of Ghana doesn't matter it's their personal interest which is superior you understand and to do this at the time when there are many many many foot soldiers many people who are sacrificing for the party uh some of who are unemployed some of the people today who are struggling for your party are unemployed some of of them in the last 17 months have not had any appointments. Some of them in the last 17 months don't know how to feed their families and so on.
And you're not concerned about that. You are interested in going ahead. As for you alone, you become minister. You become so so and so. You continue to rise. The rest you don't care about them. Who are you? What do you think you are?
It's so sickening.
I I I I I think that what Mustafa Gandhi has said is perfect.
They should listen to Mustafa Gandhi.
They should listen to Khalistus Mahama.
They should listen to the same voices in the party and focus on the agenda, the national agenda. Any will emerge will emerge. You don't have to preposition yourself. In any case, that we know, >> watch the record of the NBC.
>> What's the record of NBC?
>> Who became president because they maneuvered and did these kinds of things that they doing?
>> Nobody who did this in the party ever succeeded.
Check the record.
President Muhammad himself, how did he become president?
Did he do what they doing? He didn't.
In fact, I know as a fact when President Mills decided on him as a running and he was told, he was shocked.
I said he had to negotiate with him.
>> I can tell you stories. In fact, the first time he was told, he said, "Oh, why he wants to go to school and improve his uh you know educational qualification and so on." That was his first reaction.
>> Where he was first told at that time he was living in where is this place is it? No, he wasn't living in Jawu. He was then living in this place.
>> Okay.
>> You know when when the news was broken to him, President Mills himself did he do what they doing to become president.
When he was approached by their told that Mr. Rollins wanted him, he was surprised.
You understand why did he do what they doing?
When Nana was approached by John Muhammad, she was shocked.
You understand? They should stop wasting our time and wasting their time and the time of restoration of values. We are a social democratic party.
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