Former Attorney General Martin Amidu has questioned the leadership credibility of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno, arguing that the police chief publicly admitted he was not in command of the November 12 joint military-police operations.
In an opinion piece, Amidu said the IGP’s own comments showed a violation of Article 202(2) of the Constitution, which places operational control and administration of the Ghana Police Service under the IGP.
According to Amidu, the IGP’s admission was “frank” but troubling. “One must appreciate the candour of IGP Yohuno in disclosing that he did not authorize or command the operations,” he wrote, adding that Yohuno’s concession raised questions about whether he had “lost command and control” of the Police Service.
Amidu argued that ceding control to the National Security Coordinator, who is a serving Commissioner of Police, was unconstitutional and undermined discipline within the police.
He said, “For the head of such a disciplined service to abdicate his responsibilities… demonstrates that the IGP has lost command and control or has a self-serving reason to cede his mandate.”
He suggested that the political arrangement under President John Mahama paved the way for a vulnerable IGP. According to him, President Mahama strategically appointed a subordinate officer as National Security Coordinator and later named Yohuno as IGP despite his impending retirement.
“IGP Yohuno is not ready for retirement and is looking forward to post-retirement contract,” Amidu claimed. “He has to play a secondary role to keep his job, and has therefore lost the command granted him by the Constitution.”
Amidu concluded that the structure created by the executive has weakened police independence and placed operational power in the hands of a subordinate officer serving at the National Security Secretariat.
