NPP’s Richard Ahiagbah Accuses Government of “Criminalizing Free Speech,” Warns of Threat to Democracy

The New Patriotic Party’s Director of Communications, Richard Ahiagbah, has accused the NDC-Mahama government of systematically undermining free expression in Ghana, warning that the country is “under siege” from the criminalization of speech.

In a statement titled _“The Criminalization of Free Speech: Ghana’s Democracy is Under Siege,”_ Ahiagbah said recent arrests and prosecutions over social media comments signal a dangerous shift toward a “digital police state.”

“I do not use the word siege lightly,” he wrote. “What is happening in Ghana today is not politics as usual. It is a deliberate, systematic dismantling of the freedoms that define us as a democratic republic.”

Abronye detention cited as key concern

Ahiagbah focused on the detention of NPP communicator Kwame Baffoe Abronye, describing the court’s justification as “among the most troubling judicial developments since Ghana’s independence.”

He said the prosecution argued, and the court accepted, that Abronye would commit a crime at some unspecified future time, despite no evidence of an ongoing offense or immediate danger.

“The courts are not oracles. Judges are not prophets. The freedom of a Ghanaian cannot be taken away based on guesses dressed up as law,” Ahiagbah said. He also questioned a seven-day delay in the issuance of the written ruling on bail, calling on the Judicial Service and the Ghana Bar Association to provide an explanation.

List of 15 others facing prosecution

The NPP communications chief listed 15 other Ghanaians he said have been arrested and face prosecution for comments made on social media. They include Sir Obama, Fante Comedy, Baba Amando, Prince Ofori, Yayra Abiwu, Emmanuel Kwakye, David Afful, Akosua Jollof, David Essandoh, Okatakyie Afrifa, Akyenkwa Nana, Charity Defe Tetteh, Priscilla Duah Brago, Gordon Asare Bediako, and Alfred Ababio.

“These are mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters—your neighbors. They only spoke out, and now they are paying a price no democracy worth the name should impose,” he said.

Ahiagbah warned that the trend could expand to affect any Ghanaian who speaks out, saying, “The list of names above could someday include yours if we do not resist the onslaught.”

NPP pledges defense of free expression

He said Ghanaians can trust the NPP and NPP flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to protect democratic values, citing the party’s commitment to free expression, judicial independence, and the 1992 Constitution.

“A government that aggressively restricts the fundamental rights of its citizens loses all moral authority to demand civility or restraint,” Ahiagbah stated.

He added that “a democracy without free speech is not a democracy. It is managed silence,” and urged citizens not to be intimidated into silence ahead of the 2028 elections.

In a direct message to Abronye, Ahiagbah wrote: “You are not alone. The storm is real. The injustice is real. But so is Ghana’s resilience and our solidarity with you.”