Richard Gyamfi, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Communications Team, has questioned President John Mahama’s claim that he was unaware of several arrests linked to alleged insults against him.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana, Gyamfi said Mahama could not distance himself from the arrests while also asserting that he had the authority to direct the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) when security officers act improperly.
“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 remarks by host Moro Awudu that President Mahama had said he learnt about the arrests through the media and was uncomfortable with the circumstances surrounding some of them.
Awudu also questioned whether the president could reasonably be expected to know about every arrest made by the police.
Gyamfi agreed that Mahama could not be expected to monitor every arrest but said the cases in question were different because they had attracted significant public attention, including demonstrations and appeals over the treatment of those detained.
“These are political arrests,” he said, arguing that the president should have been briefed about them.
Gyamfi said Mahama’s position raised questions about his role in the matter. According to him, the comments could either suggest hypocrisy on the president’s part or indicate that he was losing control of his government.
He further questioned whether the president’s remarks pointed to a lack of authority over the security agencies.
