Send a team of legal experts to probe human rights violations and the persecution of our members by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo using the country’s courts, NDC begs Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK
Ghana’s main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has petitioned the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK, to send a team of lawyers, judges, and legal experts to investigate human rights violations and the persecution of its members by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo using the country’s courts.
In addition, they also asked the Secretariat to engage the government to account for the death of eight innocent Ghanaians who were killed during the December 2020 election by agents of the state security agency as well as similar cases that have not been investigated.
READ ALSO: Ghana Spends $200m On Infection Majorly caused by Homosexuals in 1 Year -Sam George
Air pollution kills 16,000 Ghanaians, Impoverishes Nation by $2.5bn annually – World Bank
Nigeria Arrests 9 Ghanaians For $400,000 Cannabis Trafficking + NAMES
Ghana Arrests, Detains 11 Nigerians for Cyber Fraud + NAMES
Addressing the media in Accra, the general secretary of the NDC, Mr Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah said they have been forced to bring to the attention of the Commonwealth Secretariat, “various acts of human rights violations, criminal persecutions and harassment of its members and supporters by the government,” and asked the Secretary-General to find a way of making the Ghanaian government “desist from these acts that threaten Ghana’s peace and security.”
Giving a background to their petition, Mr Asiedu-Nketia said, “before the 2016 General Elections, then, candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, preached violence and mayhem if he did not win the 2016 Presidential Elections.
“Since assuming the reins of power in 2016 the message of physical violence against political opponents that President Akufo-Addo preached and championed before the 2016 General Elections has turned into structural, institutional and systemic forms of violence, in the form of human rights violations, harassment and political persecutions, against members and supporters of the NDC,” he added.
“Significantly, buffer institutions such as the Judiciary whose core mandate is to mediate between the interests of opposing parties and ensure the promotion of the rule of law and individual liberties have become systematically enfeebled with attendant loss of public confidence in these institutions,” Mr Asiedu-Nketiah said.
He cited a recent African Barometer survey report on Ghana which indicated that over 84% of Ghanaians do not consider the judiciary to be impartial,” adding that, “the image of the judiciary has been further dented by the delivery of unreasoned court judgments, which read more like partisan or polemical pieces than learned judicial reasoning consistent with judicial standards in the legal systems of common law countries.”
He cited the case of one of its members, Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, one time chief executive officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board, who have been charged with another businessman, Mr Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana Limited for 27 counts of offences, including abetment of defrauding by false pretences and willfully causing financial loss to the Republic of Ghana, and said, “while this matter is still pending in the courts of Ghana (and we do not wish to comment on the merits of the case) we feel compelled to draw attention to the conduct of the Government, which demonstrates that the entire prosecution of Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni is nothing but political witch-hunting.”
He said “a key figure in this political show trial has been the presiding judge, Mr. Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, whose conduct breaches established principles of judicial composure and commitment.”
In February 2020, Mr. Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, the presiding judge, who is also the Paramount Chief of Nyagbo in the Volta Region of Ghana, who called on his people, at a durbar, to vote for President Akufo-Addo in the 2020 Presidential Elections.
“This is a flagrant breach of article 276 of the Ghana’s 1992 Constitution which prohibits chiefs from taking part in active party politics. An application for Mr. Justice Honyenuga, to recuse himself from the hearing of the case came to naught.,” Mr Asiedu-Nketia added.
“Since then, Mr. Justice Honyenuga has been unable to hide his intention to convict Dr. Opuni. At the close of the prosecution case and upon an application of submission of no case to answer by his lawyers. Mr. Justice Honyenuga, contrary to all standards of common law adjudication on the legal principles that govern the consideration of an application of no case to answer, literally established the guilt of Dr. Opuni before the latter had opened his defence,” Mr Asiedu-Nketia said.
He said these actions of the government create conditions that threaten the country’s political stability and further erode its democratic values, adding that, “it is very unfortunate that after riding on the high horse and banner of a human right activist, President Akufo-Addo has become a democratic despot”
Mr Asiedu-Nketiah said “the persecutions,
threats and killings of supporters and members of NDC violate the values and objectives of the Commonwealth create conditions that will threaten and jeopardize the peace and security of Ghana, adding that, in line with the objectives of the Commonwealth of Nations and the Harare Declaration, it is appropriate that their concerns to the Secretariat is considered for early resolution.
