Led by Minority Leader in Parliament Alexander Afenyo-Markin, organisers of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) “Democracy under attack” protest have submitted petitions to Ghana’s Supreme Court and the Presidency, alleging selective justice, political persecution and the misuse of state institutions.
The Thursday demonstration ended at Jubilee House, where the organisers handed over a petition calling attention to what the NPP says are growing threats to the country’s democratic governance under the current administration.
The party’s nationwide “Democracy Under Attack” campaign is intended to raise public concern about developments it believes are weakening the rule of law, judicial independence and confidence in Ghana’s public institutions.
The petitions addressed several issues, including the acquittal and discharge of former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer Sedina Tamakloe Attionu.
They also referred to the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo and the 20-year prison sentence imposed on the NPP’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
The NPP argued that those developments raised serious questions about the consistency, fairness and impartiality of Ghana’s justice system.
Hundreds of the party’s supporters, wearing its symbolic black and red colours, marched through Accra. The demonstration was attended by NPP executives, Members of Parliament, former government officials and grassroots activists.
Earlier in the day, separate copies of the petition were presented to the Supreme Court. The protest was organised as part of the party’s wider campaign to draw attention to what it describes as threats to democratic governance.
A brief dispute developed at Jubilee House when security personnel stopped members of the media from entering the inner perimeter to report on the presentation. NPP leaders refused to continue until journalists were allowed access.
The party also initially declined to hand over the petition after Presidential Staffer Nana Yaa Jantuah arrived to receive it. NPP representatives said they had expected the document to be accepted personally by either Chief of Staff Julius Debrah or President John Dramani Mahama.
The absence of the Chief of Staff was described by the NPP as disrespectful to the concerns set out in the petition.
After discussions between the two sides, the party agreed to present the document to Nana Yaa Jantuah. She assured the delegation that it would be formally delivered to the Presidency.
The NPP said the protest was aimed at highlighting what it considers actions that threaten the rule of law, judicial independence and the credibility of Ghana’s state institutions. Its concerns centred on whether recent legal and institutional decisions had been applied consistently and without political influence.
The procession through Accra formed the public component of the campaign, while the petitions to the Supreme Court and the Presidency set out the party’s formal complaints.
