Editorial: No PR Work Should Save Chief Superintendent Lumor

Voters in 19 polling stations in the Ablekuma North constituency in the Greater Accra Region went to polls on Friday, July 11, 2025 to elect a new parliamentarian for the area. The decision, which was an order from the Electoral Commission (EC), followed the failure of the latter to declare a winner for the parliamentary poll in the constituency, during the December 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

But, what was supposed to be a peaceful poll to elect a new Member of Parliament for the constituency turned chaotic when Madam Hawa Koomson, the immediate past Minister for Fisheries was brutally attacked by thugs who had invaded one of the polling stations. The police, according to the Interior Minister, Mohammed Muntaka, have opened investigations into the attack and we are anxiously waiting for the outcome.

Another issue that attracted public attention that day was an indiscretion exercised by Chief Superintendent SenanuLumor, said to be the Adenta Divisional Commander of Police. In a video that has gone viral on both social and traditional media, the police capo is seen slapping a journalist. To apparently calm down tension, the police quickly issued a statement to announce to the public that Mr Lumor, apart from being withdrawn from election duties, has also been interdicted.

In expressing our opinion over the development, we argued through this column on Monday that the interdiction of Superintendent SenanuLumor was not enough and that he should be charged and brought before the court of law. We contended that the senior police officer had no right to slap the journalist and that, if the reporter had retaliated he would have been arrested and probably charged for assaulting a police officer in uniform.

Fortunately, the Interior Minister says the police are going to investigate all the electoral violence, including the assault on the journalists. But as we wait for the outcome of these investigations, some people have, as usual, started Public Relations work on television for the embattled Mr Lumor, claiming that the top police hierarchy should temper justice with mercy and that the journalist at the centre of the storm provoked him.

According to these propagandists, the police had mounted a barricade to prevent people from assessing that particular voting centre, but the journalist allegedly jumped over the barricade and was sitting inside the perimeter. They further narrated that the junior police officers tried to persuade the journalist to leave the place, but he would not listen and that, it was this bad conduct that infuriated the senior police officer to slap him.

Since no journalist from The Chronicle was at the scene, we cannot confirm or deny this allegation being made against the journalist. But if this allegation is even true, does it justify the assault on the reporter, who was equally performing his constitutional duties?

It must be stated clearly that no one, not even President Mahama is above the laws of this country, let alone a reporter. In our opinion, therefore, if the GHONE journalist was disobeying lawful orders from the police, as we are being told, he should have been arrested right away, because as we have already stated, no one is above the laws of the country.

Indeed, we must admit that sometimes some of our colleagues behave as though they are untouchable because they are holding microphones and interviewing people. Much as journalists have the right to inform, educate and entertain Ghanaians, the police also have equal right of ensuring law and order in the country.

A journalist’s job should not overlap that of the police and vice versa. But in a volatile situation such as what happened in Ablekuma North, the journalist must always obey the orders of the police to ensure peace. This is the reason why we maintain our position that the said reporter should have been arrested and detained if he was indeed obstructing the work of the police.

Regrettably, the Adenta Divisional Commander decided not to exercise this right of arrest, but rather decided to assault the journalist. How then can anyone with the right sense of thinking justify this conduct of the senior police officer? It was good that the police were not allowed to carry weapons during the election. Indeed, if this officer was even having a side arm with him, he could have easily discharged it, judging from the anger in which he slapped the poor journalist.

Curiously, Chief Superintendent Senanu Lumor has not found it necessary to issue a public apology over his bad conduct. Unless he is restricted by service rules from commenting or rendering public apology, the behaviour tells a story that he had no regret over what he did. In such situation, why should his supporters be appealing to the police administration to treat him with kid gloves? As we had previously indicated, we will keep an eye on this particular case to ensure that justice has been done.

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