Ghana's democracy is never under attack under Mahama — COPEC Boss
Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, has dismissed claims that ongoing investigations into former government officials and politicians constitute an attack on Ghana’s democracy.
According to him, investigations into alleged wrongdoing should not automatically be interpreted as political persecution, stressing that accountability remains a fundamental part of democratic governance.
His comments follow the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration on August 6, 2026, during which the party accused the government of undermining democratic institutions and targeting its members.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Saturday, August 8, Mr Amoah said he did not share the view that Ghana’s democracy was currently under threat.
He explained that a functioning democracy requires state institutions to perform their constitutional duties while allowing citizens to scrutinise and criticise their actions.
“When you have institutions get to work, you don’t have any objection but to sometimes critique the way institutions work. But to lump everything together and say the entire democratic process is under attack, some of us would beg to differ,” he said.
Mr Amoah said he had not witnessed a situation in Ghana where an opposition figure was targeted by the government simply for being outspoken because of their political affiliation.
“I have not in Ghana seen or come across an opposition element being just vocal and being targeted by government,” he stated.
He also pointed to Ghana’s relatively broad freedom of expression, describing it as one of the key pillars of the country’s democratic system.
“Freedom of speech, which is one of the core tenets of democracy, clearly is also not being attacked as we speak. You can speak your mind,” Mr Amoah said.
He, however, cautioned that freedom of expression should not be interpreted as a licence to threaten or intimidate others.
“Speaking your mind does not mean infringing on the freedoms or liberties of other people,” he stressed.
Mr Amoah expressed concern about what he described as the increasing use of veiled threats in Ghana’s political discourse, particularly statements suggesting that political opponents would face reprisals when the balance of power changes.
“You see a threat from the opposition that says the tables will turn and will do things to you. You would hear functionaries sometimes issue those threats,” he said.
According to him, such rhetoric risks creating a political culture in which public officials expect to be shielded from accountability because of their political affiliation.
“What you are indirectly saying is that, okay, even if we did wrong, or even if adverse findings are made against us, do not go after us, because someday you may not be in power,” he stated.
The COPEC Executive Secretary warned that allowing such a political culture to take root would ultimately harm ordinary Ghanaians rather than either of the country’s two major political parties.
“If we allow this country to be governed that way, it is not the NPP-NDC that suffers, it is the people,” he said.