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Sanitise your populist approach to arrests – Ahiagbah to OSP
The National Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has heavily criticized the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, for arresting the Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Kofi Ofosu Nkansah.
Mr. Nkansah was arrested on January 10, 2024, by the Special Prosecutor for allegedly campaigning with NEIP money ahead of the NPP parliamentary primaries.
Mr. Nkansah was taken into custody and subsequently transported to his office in Accra to assist in ongoing investigations. He was later released.
Reacting to the development in an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on January 11, 2024, Mr. Ahiagbah lashed out at the OSP, describing his arresting approach as ‘populist’.
He stated that the days of such arrests are a thing of the past, advising the OSP to sanitize its approach when effecting arrests on persons suspected to be engaged in corruption and corruption-related activities.
“I think that the Special Prosecutor is working; we want him to work. I support him to work, but he needs to sanitize his approach a little bit. The days when these kinds of siege attacks and the rest of them happened are in the past. It’s a democracy; invite the gentleman; he will come. Whatever the concerns are, I think you can have a civil, democratic conversation about how to deal with it. But these kinds of populist invitations and attacks, I think, are a thing of the past.”
The National Communications Director of the NPP pointed out that the work of the OSP and other institutions tends to drag the country’s name in the mud if not handled properly.
“We will encourage all the institutions to work. But they must understand that they need to sanitize their approach so they don’t create a public spectacle. The appearance of something that has happened, which perhaps may not be of that magnitude. The process of the invitation will generate for the public creates a very negative public perception of the individuals and the process.”
He expressed satisfaction that the issue has been resolved among the parties involved.
“My understanding is that the issue has been dealt with. Is all for the best of democracy. I’m happy he’s gone home, if any further investigations should be done but, the OSP should sanitize the way it does its work,” he said.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
