The New Patriotic Party’s protest against alleged intimidation by the state turned fiery when Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye lashed out at what he described as dictatorial tendencies under the Mahama-led administration.
The former Ledzekuku legislator condemned recent arrests of opposition figures, stressing that such actions belong to regimes that disregard basic freedoms.
“There is no democracy in the world where an individual will be put in an armoured vehicle because he spoke on social media or television. These things happen only under dictatorships,” Okoe Boye declared.
He pointed to the detention of Chairman Azoka, saying it reflected a worrying trend of using the police to silence dissent.
“The police here can’t even take a picture because of the fear that has been created,” he lamented.
While acknowledging that President Mahama presents himself as a “fine gentleman” internationally, Okoe Boye challenged him to ensure that same character is evident in governance.
“We want that fineness to show in the behaviour of his appointees, in the behaviour of the police, and in the behaviour of his government. You cannot come and preach virtue on the outside and practise vice inside,” he said.
For Okoe Boye, Ghana’s democratic reputation is at stake if the administration continues down this path of arrests and intimidation.
