Saturday, 13 September

Minority labels Abronye's arrest, arraignment as political persecution

Politics
Abronye

The Minority Caucus in Ghana’s Parliament has strongly condemned what they are calling a clear case of political persecution by the ruling government.

In an official statement, they argued that the recent arrest and remand of Kwame Baffoe, known as Abronye DC, the Bono Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), was part of a broader pattern of abuse of power aimed at silencing dissent.

The caucus emphasised that Baffoe’s detention on charges of “offensive conduct conducive to a breach of the peace” was unjustified and indicative of the government’s attempt to intimidate opposition voices.

They pointed out that his prior efforts to seek asylum in eight countries, citing threats to his life, underscored the political nature of his persecution.

The caucus asserted that his continued detention appeared to be intended to punish, not serve justice.

They further accused the government of weaponising the judiciary to target opponents, while simultaneously neglecting urgent national crises.

The statement highlighted the ongoing communal violence in northern Ghana, which has resulted in over 31 deaths and displaced nearly 50,000 people — many seeking refuge across the border in Côte d’Ivoire. Instead of addressing this humanitarian emergency, the government was allegedly distracted by political witch-hunts, the Minority contended.

The caucus also raised alarm over threats against opposition leaders, including assassination plots allegedly made by NDC officials, which they said were being ignored by authorities.

They argued that these actions demonstrated a dangerous escalation of political violence and a disregard for democratic norms.

They called on the Ghana Police Service to act impartially and protect all political actors, warning that the current climate of intimidation and repression threatened Ghana’s democracy.

The caucus accused the government of abandoning its constitutional responsibilities in favour of consolidating authoritarian control, citing judicial persecution, executive overreach, and security failures as evidence.

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