'Repression will not silence Ghanaians' — Richard Ahiagbah tells Mahama over TikToker's conviction

The National Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has criticised the conviction and imprisonment of TikToker Camila Alhassan.

His comments follow the sentencing of the 43-year-old to one year imprisonment with hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court for offensive conduct following statements she made about President John Dramani Mahama.

The Ghana Police Service has also announced plans to arraign her before an High Court on a separate charge of false communication.

Reacting to this in a social media post on Friday, July 17, the NPP spokesperson described the development as a repressive action that would only fuel public dissent.

Ahiagbah argued that attempts to suppress criticism through arrests and prosecutions would not succeed in a democratic society where citizens have the constitutional right to express their views.

"Good morning, Your Excellency, President John Dramani Mahama. This repressive action against Camila Alhassan was carried out in your name. The heavy-handedness does no favors for your legacy, because such efforts can't silence citizens in a democracy; they never worked in the past, and they won't work now," he wrote.

According to the NPP communications director, the government's response to criticism would only produce more critics rather than silence opposing voices.

"The only thing that silences dissent is results, but so far, the results are lacking; you cannot silence Ghanaians when the government fails to deliver. We will dissent even louder because it is our right to speak up. Your government will be overwhelmed by dissent if repression and suppression are your responses," he stated.

Ahiagbah further asserted that more people would emerge to criticise and hold the government accountable if authorities continued to respond to dissent with what he described as repression.