The Ranking Member of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, Mr James Agalga, has appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, to arrest Abetifi MP Bryan Acheampong for publicly declaring that the governing New Patriotic Party will never hand over power to the main opposition National Democratic Congress in the 2024 elections.
Mr Acheamping, who is the Minister of Agriculture, and also served as a Minister of State in Charge of National Security, told party supporters after a health march at Mpraeso in the Eastern Region on Saturday, 8 March 2023: “NDC party will collapse”.
“If the NDC dares to use threats, violence and foolishness in the 2024 election we will let them know we have the men”, he threatened, stressing: “We will show them that we have the men. We have the men”.
Mr Bryan then noted: “It will never happen that we the NPP will stand on a platform to hand over power to the NDC”.
“It will never happen! We will make sure NPP remains in government at all cost”.
In his view, the government is fixing the economy, which will inure to the NPP’s electoral fortunes.
“Now with the way things are changing the economy will bounce back again, I am telling you that we are going to come around that curve and we are going to win the 2024 elections hands down.”
At the same event, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia taunted former President John Mahama, saying his only claim to fame are dumsor and guinea fowls under the Savanna Development Authority (SADA) project, flying away to neighbouring Burkina Faso.
According to him, unlike the Akufo-Addo administration, Mr Mahama cannot boast of one transformational achievement in his several decades of politics.
“Do you know that John Mahama has been in politics his entire adult life; over 30 years?” he told the crowd, adding: “He has been an assemblyman, deputy minister to minister then Vice President and then President”.
“But can you mention a single transformational policy that he has implemented?” he asked.
“Just mention one, but there is none. Only Dumsor and guinea fowls; that’s all, but with the NPP, we have mobile money interoperability, one district-one factory, digital address, Free SHS, zongo constituency fund; there is so much we have done.”
Also, Dr Bawumia said the National Democratic Congress (NDC), under President John Mahama, only created unemployment while in office but the Akufo-Addo administration has created 2.1 million jobs so far.
“During the NDC administration, there were no jobs; they created unemployment instead of employment but these days there are jobs everywhere”.
“I have been looking at the data lately and we have created 2.1 million jobs”.
He said 975, 000 of those jobs are in the private sector while 1.2 million are in the public sector.
“This is verifiable and identifiable data which is available”, Dr Bawumia noted.
Dr Bawumia told the crowd: “We are not done yet because there are more jobs for us to create”.
“But when it comes to job creation, no government since independence has created more jobs than the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo”, daring: “Anybody can challenge me and I will provide the data”.
“But we want to do more; we want to get to the Promised Land. We can be a Dubai, we can be a South Korea, we can be a Singapore’ it is possible”, he noted.
Speaking to the crowd, too, the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Justin Frimpong Kodua, said the government will fix the ravaged economy by the end of the year.
“Akufo-Addo has stated that the NPP has the men to turn the economy around. We are confident that by the end of the year, the economy will be in good shape. We just need your support because the alternative is worse, it is empty and hopeless”.
Responding to his fellow MP’s comment, Mr Agalga said in a statement: “… The dishonourable conduct of Bryan Acheampong poses a direct and grave threat to Ghana’s democracy and for which reason he must be held accountable”.
“Consequently, we entreat the Inspector General of Police to, as a matter of urgency, arrest Bryan Acheampong and cause his prosecution for engaging in conduct which has the potential to undermine the peace and security of our country”.
Mr Agalga said Mr Acheampong’s track record and the behavior of the Akufo-Addo government toward the electoral commission, gives cause for worry.
Read Mr Agalga’s full statement below:
Bryan Acheampong – A danger to Ghana’s democracy
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Hon James Agaliga, Ranking Member, Committee on Defence & Interior, Parliament of Ghana.
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My attention has been drawn to a statement made by Hon Bryan Acheampong, the MP for Abetifi and Minister for Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs on the 8th of April 2023, which statement is captured in a video that has been widely shared on social media.
The crux of the statement is that the NPP, as a political party, will never hand over political power to the NDC and will do anything possible to retain power in 2024.
If one unpacks Bryan Acheampong’s statement, two irresistible conclusions will be arrived at: First, the NPP is hell bent on subverting the will of the Ghanaian people in order to perpetuate their stay in power even when they lose the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, which is almost certain given its abysmal performance in government and the pain, suffering and hardship they have inflicted upon Ghanaians.
Secondly, the NPP is prepared to use violence to disrupt the impending elections if it becomes apparent that it will lose.
The conclusions drawn from Bryan Acheampong’s ominous statement is manifested in the overall conduct of Akufo-Addo’s government’s approach to issues bordering on the impartiality and credibility of the Electoral Commission moving in to the 2024 elections.
The recent appointment by President Akufo-Addo of Dr Peter Appiahene, Hajia Salina Ahmed Tijani and Rev. Ofori Boateng, who are known activists of the NPP, is consistent with Bryan Acheampong’s effusion.
Again, the propensity of the NPP to use violence to disrupt elections is echoed in Bryan Acheampong’s statement. The disruption of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election by hoodlums associated with the NPP is still fresh in our minds.
We were not surprised at all that the Emile Short Commission of Inquiry implicated Bryan Acheampong in its findings and recommendations.
The killing of eight (8) Ghanaians during the conduct of the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections by NPP thugs who infiltrated the security services through back-door recruitment in order to manipulate and to subvert the will of the electorate as was seen in the Techiman North constituency cannot be forgotten.
In view of the above, the dishonourable conduct of Bryan Acheampong poses a direct and grave threat to Ghana’s democracy and for which reason he must be held accountable.
Consequently, we entreat the Inspector General of Police to, as a matter of urgency, arrest Bryan Acheampong and cause his prosecution for engaging in conduct which has the potential to undermine the peace and security of our country.
While unequivocally condemning Bryan Acheampong for his unguarded statement, we wish to send a clear message to him and people of his ilk that the NDC shall not leave any stone unturned to ensure that Ghana’s current democratic dispensation which was birthed by it in 1992 is safeguarded even in the face of intimidation and adversity.
Signed:
Hon James Agalga
Ranking, Committee on Defence and Interior
