Friday, 12 September

Minority warns of rising political persecution over arrest of Abronye

Politics
Abronye DC

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has issued a strong statement condemning the arrest and remand of Mr. Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, the Bono Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mr. Baffoe was arraigned before the Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday and remanded into police custody until Friday, September 12, 2025.

He faces two counts of alleged “offensive conduct conducive to a breach of the peace.”

According to the Minority, the case represents a worrying trend of political persecution and abuse of state power.

“The government is increasingly weaponising the judicial system against perceived opponents,” the statement read, adding that the charges against Mr. Baffoe were vague and fell short of international legal standards.

The Caucus noted that Abronye’s arrest came shortly after he reportedly sought asylum in eight countries, citing threats to his life.

His remand without bail, they argued, was “punishment, not justice.”

The Minority linked the development to what it described as a broader campaign to suppress dissent in Ghana, pointing to:

Arbitrary arrests of journalists, opposition figures, and social commentators.

Deployment of security forces to intimidate citizens who expose corruption.

A growing climate of fear is stifling free expression.

The statement further criticised the government for allegedly neglecting urgent national crises, particularly the escalating communal violence in northern Ghana that has claimed at least 31 lives, displaced nearly 50,000 people, and forced over 13,000 to seek refuge in Côte d’Ivoire.

“This is a humanitarian emergency that shames our nation,” the Caucus declared, accusing the government of using political witch-hunts as a distraction from real crises.

The Minority also raised alarm over what it called an “escalation of threats” against political leaders, including Minority Leader Hon. Osahen Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, Chief Whip Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, and NPP National Organiser Mr. Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B). It alleged that assassination threats issued by political opponents were being ignored by the authorities.

“This climate of intimidation is not a partisan issue; it is an assault on democracy itself,” the statement warned, calling on the Ghana Police Service to act impartially and guarantee protection for all political actors.

 

The Minority Caucus concluded by accusing the government of abandoning its constitutional duties in favour of “authoritarian consolidation,” citing judicial persecution, executive overreach, economic manipulation, and security failures as major threats to Ghana’s democracy.

Source: classfmonline.com/Cecil Mensah