The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected calls by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the arrest of the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, for his “NPP will remain in government at all cost” statement.
In a statement issued on Monday, April 10, 2024, the General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Frimpong Kodua, said that leading figures in the NDC, including former President John Dramani Mahama, have more damning comments than what Bryan Acheampong said.
Justin Kodua said that Bryan Acheampong’s comments were in response to statements made by Mahama in the past and that if anybody should be arrested, it should be the former president.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Hon Bryan Acheampong, was responding to the NDC’s perpetual flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, who had on many occasions described the 2024 general elections as one of “do or die” for the NDC.
“It is, in fact, a no secret that the NDC has always resorted to violence and intimidation against their opponents during the conduct of general elections, and this was summed up by their 2024 presumptive presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama. He has stated emphatically that: ‘NDC has revolutionary root, and that when it comes to unleashing violence, nobody can beat us [NDC) in unleashing violence’,” he said.
“From the foregoing, if anybody has to be arrested by the Police for treasonable comments, then certainly it is John Dramani Mahama for his continuous “Do or die for the NDC in reference to the 2024 general elections, and Asiedu Nketiah for his brazen proclamation that members of the NDC are willing to sacrifice their lives to win the 2024 elections,” the NPP general secretary added.
What Bryan Acheampong said:
Bryan Acheampong, after a walk dubbed “Walk to Build A Better Ghana” with a multitude of New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters at Mpreaso-Kwahu in the Eastern Region on Saturday, April 8, 2023, stated that the ruling NPP will never hand over power to the opposition NDC in 2025.
He cautioned that the NPP will show the NDC that they have the “men” should they try to use threats and violence in the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.
“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. We will show them that we have the men.
“We have the men. 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 remain in government at all cost,” Acheampong, who is also the MP for Abetifi, said.
NDC’s call for the arrest of Bryan Acheampong:
The NDC, in a statement issued by its general secretary, Fifi Kwetey, called on the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to as a matter of urgency arrest Bryan Acheampong for comments he made which they described as treasonable.
Fifi Fiavi also said that his party will resist any attempt aimed at subverting the will of the Ghanaians people.
“As the political tradition that ushered in our nation’s stable constitutional order, the NDC will do whatever it takes to resist the misrule and machination of the oppressor and thus protect and preserve our democracy.
“We urge the Ghana Police Service to act with dispatch in this matter. We recall the alacrity with which it recently apprehended and charged the Suame Constituency Youth Organiser of the NDC for expressing views that were deemed to be inciteful,” Kwetey stated.
He continued: “No one is in any doubt that the statement of Bryan Acheampong is even more incendiary and subversive. We, therefore, expect the same level of speedy action from the Ghana Police Service in arresting Bryan Acheampong and bringing him to book.”
