A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Communications Team, Richard Gyamfi, has accused President John Mahama of hypocrisy over his comments about recent arrests allegedly linked to insults against him.
Gyamfi questioned how the President could claim he was unaware of the arrests while at the same time having the constitutional authority to direct the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) if he believes officers are acting improperly.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana, Gyamfi pointed to Mahama’s position as both Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and chairman of the National Security Council.
“Who is the Commander-in-Chief in terms of our armed forces and security? Who is the chairman of the National Security Council? The president is,” he said.
His comments followed Mahama’s assertion that he only learnt about some of the arrests through media reports and was uncomfortable with the circumstances surrounding certain cases.
Gyamfi argued that the President’s position made it difficult for him to completely distance himself from the developments, particularly because the arrests had attracted significant public attention.
The issue has generated public debate, with demonstrations and calls for action over the treatment of some of those detained.
Responding to a question about whether the President could realistically be expected to know about every arrest made by the police, Gyamfi acknowledged that Mahama could not be expected to personally monitor every case.
He, however, maintained that the arrests being discussed were different because of the attention they had received.
“These are political arrests,” he said, insisting that the President should therefore have been briefed about them.
Gyamfi said Mahama’s comments raised questions about the President’s relationship with the security agencies and his level of knowledge about actions being taken in his name.
He suggested that there were two possible interpretations of the President’s position: either Mahama was being hypocritical in distancing himself from the arrests, or he was losing control of aspects of his own government.
Gyamfi also questioned whether the President’s comments could be interpreted as an indication that he did not have sufficient authority over the security agencies.
His remarks add to the growing political debate over recent arrests and the extent to which the President should be held responsible for actions taken by state security institutions.
