The Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has called on President John Dramani Mahama to direct his appointees to operate within the law following a reported attempt by officials of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to arrest Manhyia South Member of Parliament Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah at the Accra High Court on Wednesday, September 23.

The reported incident occurred as the legislator attended proceedings involving the bail application of social commentator Salomey Baffoe, whom authorities reportedly accuse of abetting the publication of false information connected to content associated with the “Ghana Jollof” TikTok account.

Important note: The report below is based on the information supplied in the user’s account. The specific circumstances of the alleged attempted arrest, including EOCO’s legal justification and whether a formal invitation was issued, require independent confirmation. A search conducted for corroborating reports did not produce sufficiently reliable results to independently verify all the claims.

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Reported incident at the Accra High Court

Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, a lawyer representing Salomey Baffoe, was at the High Court for proceedings concerning her bail application when persons identified as EOCO officials reportedly sought to take him into custody.

The precise circumstances remain unclear. It has not been established from the information available:

• Whether the MP had received a formal invitation from EOCO.

• Whether an arrest warrant or other legal authorization had been issued.

• The specific allegations or legal grounds on which the intended arrest was based.

• Whether EOCO formally confirmed that its officers were involved in the incident.

The reported confrontation allegedly escalated outside the court premises. Videos said to be circulating show an exchange between the legislator and a woman identified as an EOCO official, followed by a scuffle as Baffour Awuah attempted to leave in his vehicle.

The authenticity, full context and sequence of events shown in any circulated footage would need to be established through independent review and statements from the parties involved.

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Minority Leader calls on Mahama to act

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin criticised what he described as excesses by government officials and urged President Mahama to ensure that state institutions perform their duties lawfully.

He called on the President to reflect on the legacy of his administration and cautioned against conduct that could undermine public confidence in state institutions.

“Watch these excesses, enough is enough. Call your appointees to order because this is not the Ghana we want.”

Afenyo-Markin also stressed that the Minority was not opposed to accountability or the lawful work of state institutions.

“We are not against accountability and we always say that. We are not against any state institution going about its lawful duty as enshrined in any enactment or the Constitution.”

He added that institutions must be seen to be carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law.

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Accountability and the rule of law

The Minority’s position, as presented in the supplied statement, is that government agencies must be able to investigate allegations of wrongdoing while respecting constitutional safeguards and legal procedures.

The controversy raises several institutional questions:

These questions should be answered through official statements, court records and verified accounts rather than assumptions based solely on video footage or political commentary.

Salomey Baffoe case adds to tensions

The reported confrontation comes amid controversy surrounding the arrest and prosecution of social commentator Salomey Baffoe.

According to the account supplied, Baffoe faces an allegation of abetting the publication of false information in connection with material associated with the “Ghana Jollof” TikTok account. The precise charges, evidence and procedural status would need to be confirmed through court documents or statements from the prosecution and defence.

Baffour Awuah’s involvement as her lawyer places the reported incident within an ongoing legal dispute. However, representation of an accused person does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing by either the lawyer or the client.

EOCO’s response remains necessary

At the time of the supplied account, EOCO had not issued a detailed public explanation of the reported incident.

An official response would be important to clarify whether:

1. Its officers were present at the court.

2. Any attempt was made to arrest or detain the MP.

3. An investigation or formal invitation involving Baffour Awuah existed.

4. The agency considers the conduct of its officials to have complied with applicable law.

The absence of a detailed response should not be interpreted as confirmation of either the Minority’s allegations or the reported actions of the officials.

Political and institutional implications

The incident has the potential to intensify debate about the relationship between law-enforcement agencies, Parliament and the executive branch.

The Minority’s demand places responsibility on the President to ensure that appointees and state institutions respect legal boundaries. The government and EOCO would have an opportunity to respond with their own accounts and clarify whether the reported conduct was authorized and lawful.

An independent assessment must distinguish between verified events, allegations made by political actors and legal conclusions that can only be reached through established procedures.

Conclusion

The reported confrontation involving Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah has prompted the Minority to demand presidential intervention and greater adherence to due process. The central issue is not whether state agencies should investigate suspected offences, but whether such actions are conducted transparently, lawfully and with respect for constitutional protections.

Until EOCO, the affected MP and other relevant authorities provide detailed accounts, important questions about the intended arrest, the legal basis for the action and the events outside the court remain unresolved.

New Patriotic Party (NPP) communicator Solomon Kusi Appiah has raised serious concerns over recent cocaine-related controversies, alleging that the successful movement of large quantities of narcotics from Ghana points to possible complicity or failures within the country’s security system.

In a studio discussion at Kessben Maakye show in Accra, Kusi Appiah insisted, if a full container of narcotics could allegedly leave Ghana before being intercepted in France, then questions must be asked about how the consignment was able to pass through Ghana’s security structures and whether some officials facilitated its movement.
“If a full container of narcotics was able to be shipped from Ghana and was arrested in France, then some officials have a hand in it,” he alleged.

Kusi Appiah, who has previously been identified publicly as a member of the NPP’s communications team, argued that the Akufo-Addo administration left behind a robust security system designed to make it difficult for cocaine traffickers to operate.
He claimed that drug dealers have now realised that the system is “porous,” which, in his view, explains the growing number of narcotics cases being recorded.

He further accused the current NDC administration of failing to maintain the security structures it inherited.
Kusi Appiah also questioned whether President John Mahama has sufficient control over the system, while accusing the NDC government of failing to live up to its obligations to Ghanaians.

He further challenged the NDC over its response to the cocaine controversy, asking when the party came to the conclusion that narcotics trafficking should be treated as a national concern rather than an issue for partisan political attacks.

According to him, the growing international attention surrounding cocaine cases allegedly connected to Ghana risks damaging the country’s reputation abroad.
“NDC has destroyed the reputation of Ghana, and it is not good,” he alleged.

The claims concerning government officials’ involvement and the circumstances surrounding the alleged narcotics shipment remain allegations in Kusi Appiah’s remarks and are not established as fact here.

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Former Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro NDC parliamentary candidate Alexander Ackuako has waded into the growing political debate over narcotics trafficking in Ghana, accusing the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of politicising the issue instead of supporting a united national response.

In a deliberation on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, Ackuako argued that the NPP lacks the “moral right” to attack the current government over recent narcotics cases, pointing to drug-related controversies that occurred during previous NPP administrations.

His remarks come amid renewed exchanges between the NPP and NDC over recent cocaine interceptions and Ghana’s drug-enforcement system.

He referenced the case of former Nkoranza North MP Eric Amoateng, who was arrested in the United States in 2005 and later convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison over heroin-related offences and Frank Samson, an NPP an affiliate who was recently busted with cocaine traficking issues.

In lieu of this, he questioned why the NPP would demand that the Interior Minister be sacked instead of commending the government for making arrests of cocaine dealers.

According to Ackuako, drug traffickers can be wealthy, influential and capable of cultivating relationships with people in authority, making political division over narcotics enforcement dangerous.
He therefore urged both major political parties to focus on how criminal networks infiltrate institutions rather than trading accusations.
“When drug dealers realise we are divided in tackling the cocaine saga, they will take advantage of the situation,” he cautioned.

Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission has recently said it is intensifying intelligence-led operations, forensic investigations and cross-border cooperation to combat increasingly sophisticated trafficking Network.

Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Awentami Paul Afoko, has declared that the party can return to government after spending only two years in opposition if its members unite and rebuild the party’s structures.

Afoko, who is seeking to return as National Chairman, made the declaration during his campaign tour of the Western, Central and Eastern Regions, where he engaged constituency executives and other party stakeholders ahead of the NPP’s October 3 national elections.

Speaking to delegates, Afoko said he was confident the NPP could recapture political power in the 2028 general election, provided the party resolves its internal divisions.

“I do not have a magic wand, but I can assure you that if we close our ranks and rally behind me to become the National Chairman, we have only two years to stay in opposition, and then power will be ours,” he said.

Afoko puts unity at the centre

Afoko’s campaign message revolves around his 3Rs blueprint — Reunite, Rebuild and Recapture Power.

He argued that the party has the resources and organisational capacity required to compete for power, but maintained that internal disagreements remain a major issue that must be addressed.

“We have all the ingredients for victory. What we lack is unity,” Afoko told the delegates, calling on members to put aside their differences and rebuild the party as one political family.

‘We must rebuild from the grassroots’

As part of his proposed reforms, Afoko said he would focus on strengthening the party’s grassroots structures, including constituency and polling-station organisations.

He also pledged to restore confidence among party supporters and foot soldiers whom he said had felt neglected.

His position is consistent with comments he made earlier in his campaign, when he said the NPP’s ability to return to government would depend heavily on healing internal divisions and strengthening its grassroots base.

2028 firmly in focus

Afoko’s declaration comes as the NPP prepares for its national executive elections, with the National Chairman contest scheduled for October 3, 2026, at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.

His latest remarks are a political commitment and projection by the candidate; they do not establish the eventual outcome of the 2028 election. His central argument is that organisational unity and restructuring can position the NPP to compete for power in the next general election.

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has renewed its appeal to President John Dramani Mahama to facilitate the return of properties the party says were confiscated by the state following the 1966 overthrow of Ghana’s first President and CPP founder, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

The appeal was made by the CPP’s Acting First Vice-Chairperson, Joyce Osei Owusu Larbie, during a ceremony in Accra marking Dr Nkrumah’s 117th birthday.

Speaking under the theme “The Vision, The Legacy, The Future,” Larbie said the party was seeking “justice and restitution; not favour” from the government.

CPP wants its properties back

According to the CPP, it previously owned headquarters and offices in various parts of the country before the properties were taken over following the 1966 coup.

The party says it is currently operating from rented premises on Mango Street in Accra because it no longer has access to those properties.

Larbie argued that the circumstances surrounding the CPP’s properties were different from ordinary political-party financing because the party existed before the Fourth Republic and its assets were allegedly confiscated following a military overthrow and under a military decree.

She therefore urged President Mahama to revisit the matter and facilitate the return of the properties.

‘We are asking for restitution, not favour’

The CPP maintains that the return of its properties would help the party rebuild its organisational structures and strengthen its contribution to national development.

The party has pursued the matter for several years. In 2015, it took legal action against the government over properties it said were seized after the 1966 coup, including Republic House and the Nkrumah Flats at Lartebiokorshie. The case was dismissed in 2019 on issues including the party’s legal capacity and limitation.

The demand has nevertheless remained a recurring issue for the CPP, with the party renewing its call for the return of its former offices and other assets.

The CPP had also previously appealed to successive governments to address the issue as part of what it considers a broader process of historical reconciliation.

Mahama urged to act

Larbie is now calling on President Mahama to honour an earlier commitment to examine the CPP’s petition and take steps towards resolving the longstanding dispute.

For the CPP, the return of the properties is not simply about financial support for a political party but about restoring assets it says were legitimately acquired by its members and forebears before the 1966 coup.

The latest appeal comes as the party continues efforts to rebuild, reconcile and reorganise its structures while keeping Dr Nkrumah’s political legacy at the centre of its activities.