Former Vice President and 2024 presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has told John Dramani Mahama to immediately rein in his security operatives.
Dr Bawumia said that state institutions must not be reduced to political tools used to harass and intimidate opponents.
“Ghanaians will not accept this descent into lawlessness and fear,” he said.
On Wednesday, April 9, officials of the National Intelligence Bureau attempted to arrest Assin South Lawmaker Rev John Ntim Fordjour in his home over the aircraft with drugs pronounced.
According to Government Spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the standoff erupted because Rev Fordjour refused to cooperate.
“NIB officials are currently at Ntim Fordjour’s residence. They have an arrest warrant. He is refusing to cooperate. They have given him time to cooperate, failing which they will act,” he said.
In a Facebook post, Dr Bawumia said “Last night, following the attempted raid by some alleged officials of the National Investigations Bureau (NIB), I visited Hon. Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, MP for Assin South and Ranking Member of Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior. Rev. Fordjour was in high spirits and undaunted. I urge all Party faithful to remain calm, steadfast, and law-abiding in this period of unfortunate political persecution.
“I wish to reiterate my earlier submission to the President, H.E John Dramani Mahama, to immediately rein in his security operatives. State institutions must not be reduced to political tools used to harass and intimidate opponents. Ghanaians will not accept this descent into lawlessness and fear. Our democracy is hinged on due process and rule of law.”
Rev Ntim Fordjour thanked former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for their support.
Ntim Fordjour, in a post on his X page, stated that in the eight years of the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, no opposition Member of Parliament was harassed by the state security apparatus for demanding probes in the discharge of their parliamentary oversight.
He said “Yesterday, as the former President of the Republic HE Nana Akufo-Addo @NAkufoAddo placed a call to me and conveyed his kind thoughts to me and my family, following the needless invasion of our home without a warrant by men purportedly sent by the government for raising matters of serious concerns worth probing on behalf of the Minority Caucus, I came to appreciate the more, how tolerance shapes our democracy.
“In the eight years extraordinary leadership of President Akufo-Addo, no opposition MP was harassed by the state security apparatus for demanding probes in the discharge of their parliamentary oversight. Every fierce criticism and demand for probe by the opposition MPs were graciously accommodated by President Akufo-Addo without threats and harassments.
“The level of intolerance demonstrated by President Mahama in his reaction to a press statement of the Minority Cause simply demanding probes into various matters of urgent and serious public interest, is unprecedented and a major setback in our democratic pursuit.
“This is indeed beyond the culture of silence. Truth will stand always!”
In a separate post, he further stated that “Thank you very much HE Dr Mahamudu Bawumia @MBawumia for the visit to my residence this evening following the politically-motivated lawless act of harassment in the attempt of the NDC government to gag MPs from exercising their legitimate oversight.”
The post Bawumia to Mahama: State institutions must not be reduced to political tools used to harass opponents first appeared on 3News.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS