The opposition New Patriotic Social gathering (NPP) warned that if the development persists and the get together returns to energy, it may face what it described as continued harassment, intimidation and arrests of get together leaders and supporters by state brokers.
The warning was issued by the get together’s normal secretary, Justin Frimpong Koduah, on Thursday, Might 14, throughout a protest on the Larger Accra Regional Police Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service over the police invitation to NPP activist Nana Addo Nyameh.
Mr Kodua accused his supporters of the ruling Nationwide Democratic Congress (NDC) of utilizing state establishments to focus on political opponents and suppress dissent.
He mentioned democracy thrives on tolerance and freedom of expression, stressing that opposing political opinions shouldn’t be criminalized.
“If we apply democracy, you possibly can’t silence different folks’s concepts and speech as a result of not everybody will take your aspect,” he mentioned.
Kodua referred to the earlier authorities beneath former Presidents John Agyokumu Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, arguing that critics and political opponents had been allowed to specific their views freely with out intimidation.
He referred to as on the NDC authorities to indicate tolerance and concentrate on governance as a substitute of allegedly focusing on opposition forces.
“Throughout his election marketing campaign, President Mahama promised to develop the nation. If there was one factor that Ghanaians didn’t like in the course of the NPP’s tenure, that’s the reason the NPP is now in opposition and the NDC is in energy,” he mentioned.
Kodua argued that if the present authorities continues what he described as politically motivated actions in opposition to its opponents, it can solely deepen political tensions and undermine Ghana’s democratic progress.
“Do not say nuclear energy vegetation do not do the identical factor. We do the identical factor, as a result of once they had been doing it, folks noticed it and had been silent,” he warned.
He additional mentioned that if political actors and civil society organizations don’t converse out in opposition to what he calls intimidation and abuse of energy, future governments may proceed the cycle of retaliation with every change of energy.
“Due to this fact, if you don’t advise the NDC and so they proceed with this conduct, we are going to proceed even after taking workplace,” he added.
The protests adopted rising issues raised by the NPP over a rise in police invites, arrests and investigations involving some get together members and activists because the change of presidency.
