By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
Former Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, has defended the New Patriotic Party (NPP) youth wing’s protest in Accra, insisting it is a necessary response to what he describes as a growing assault on freedom of speech in Ghana.
Speaking at the protest grounds on Tuesday, September 23, Dr. Okoe Boye said the country’s democracy is being undermined by attempts to criminalise expression.
“We are here because the most fundamental feature of a democracy is being attacked and threatened. That feature is freedom of speech,” he stressed.
The former minister explained that democracy thrives on tolerance of divergent views, even when they are blunt or offensive. According to him, arresting citizens over their choice of words sets a dangerous precedent that could silence critical voices and stifle innovation.
“Immediately somebody can be arrested and handcuffed for talking in a way that, in another person’s judgment, is not proper, it means all of us are in danger. You might think you are speaking well today, but tomorrow someone in power could say your speech is not proper,” he cautioned.
Dr. Okoe Boye argued that Ghana risks slipping into a “culture of silence” if citizens continue to live in fear of arrest over social media posts or public comments.
The protest, he explained, was aimed at defending free speech and drawing attention to what the NPP describes as unprofessional conduct by the police. He questioned why opposition figures are treated differently when arrested, citing the case of NDC Chairman Azorka compared to NPP’s Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC.
“Why would you say Chairman Azorka has been arrested and given bail when there is no picture, but when you get Abronye DC, you put him in handcuffs, take a picture, and it goes viral? Why do you go to Sir Obama, an NPP activist, at 4 a.m., break through his door, and arrest him because of a Facebook post?” he asked.
Dr. Okoe Boye further criticised President John Dramani Mahama’s leadership, suggesting that his administration is presiding over worrying democratic reversals despite his outwardly calm and tolerant image.
The protest follows the September 8 arrest of Abronye DC, who was charged with offensive conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace and publishing false news. His detention has become a rallying point for the NPP, which accuses the government of using politically motivated arrests to intimidate opponents.
Beyond Abronye’s case, frustrations have mounted over similar incidents involving party figures such as Chairman Wontumi and several social media activists. Demonstrators say these actions reflect a troubling pattern of harassment targeted at opposition voices.
