Minority Accuses Government of Targeting Opposition, Warns of Democratic Backsliding

Ghana’s parliamentary Minority has accused the government of using state institutions to intimidate political opponents, escalating tensions between the country’s two main political parties as Parliament concluded its second meeting of the year.

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin alleged that members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), including Members of Parliament, had become the focus of investigations and prosecutions because of their political views. Speaking during his closing remarks in Parliament on July 31, he urged the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to halt what he described as a campaign of political harassment.

“We say to the NDC government: stop the harassment of the opposition,” Mr Afenyo-Markin said, arguing that the use of investigative and prosecutorial powers against political rivals threatens Ghana’s democratic institutions.

The Minority claimed that opposition lawmakers and party members had been “maliciously targeted” for expressing dissent, warning that such actions risk creating an environment in which critics are discouraged from speaking out.

Mr Afenyo-Markin also questioned what he described as a series of recent judicial decisions, alleging that they pointed to unequal treatment before the law. He contended that allies of the government appeared to receive more favourable treatment than political opponents, though he did not cite specific cases during his address.

The remarks come amid heightened political tensions following a series of investigations involving former government officials and opposition figures, with the Minority increasingly accusing the administration of weaponising state institutions for partisan purposes.

The government has consistently maintained that investigative agencies and prosecutors operate independently and that ongoing cases are based on evidence rather than political affiliation.

Closing his address, Mr Afenyo-Markin warned that Ghana’s democratic system depends on the ability of both government and opposition voices to operate freely.

“Ghana is bigger than any one party, and our democracy only works if the opposition can speak,” he said.