NPP condemns arrest of Bono Regional Chairman, accuses government of clamping down on free speech
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the arrest and detention of its Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye, describing it as part of a government clampdown on free expression.
In a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, signed by the General Secretary, Mr Justin Kodua Frimpong, the party alleged that the arrest was politically motivated and formed part of what it called “a growing culture of intimidation and harassment” under the administration of President John Dramani Mahama.
Aronye was charged with two counts of publication of false news and offensive conduct conducive to the breach of peace when he appeared before the Circuit Court in Accra yesterday.
The NPP argued that his detention amounted to an abuse of state security institutions, which it said were being used to silence dissent and punish opposition voices.
The statement noted: “It is worrying that the government of John Mahama is today using the police to erode all the democratic gains and progress that the nation has achieved, particularly in the media space. Criminalising speech has no place in a democracy, and we call on COP Christian Tetteh Yohunu to respect the laws of Ghana and mend his ways.”
The party maintained that since the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law in 2001, no Ghanaian should face criminal prosecution for comments deemed offensive, as remedies for defamation exist within civil law.
According to the NPP, the arrest of its regional chairman exposed a broader pattern of “selectivity in the so-called application of the law,” arguing that similar comments by members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had gone unpunished.
The statement also linked the arrest to what the party described as the government’s failure to address pressing national security challenges, citing recent violent clashes in the Savannah Region that have left more than 32 people dead and displaced over 50,000 residents.
Calling on President Mahama to end what it described as the “weaponisation of state institutions,” the NPP urged Ghanaians and civil society groups to resist what it termed growing authoritarianism.
“The NPP will not remain passive while this government destroys what we have collectively worked hard to build. We are ready to roll out a series of actions to safeguard our country,” the statement added.
Below is a copy of the statement:
