Too many arrests over political comments 'hurt us' - Dafeamekpor warns govt

Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has cautioned his own government to focus on delivering its mandate rather than allowing arrests over political comments to become a source of controversy.

Speaking on TV3's The Key Points on Saturday, August 8, Mr Dafeamekpor said such arrests do the government no favours.

He also noted that they are not always sanctioned by government itself.

"I am upset by some of these arrests; it hurts the government. Sometimes government doesn't even sanction them; it's the police," he said.

He called on government to pay closer attention to the issue, arguing that allowing people to speak freely takes nothing away from the administration.

"I think that as government, we must pay attention to some of these things; it doesn't help. These things don't detract from the government in any way, so they should allow the people to speak. Let's focus on our mandate and deliver. As a government, we don't want this at all. Arresting people and confining them, it doesn't help us. That is my disclaimer," he said.

Mr Dafeamekpor urged government to be mindful of the broader implications of arrests arising from people's utterances, stressing that such actions could undermine rather than protect the administration.

NPP's 'Democracy Under Attack' protest

His remarks come days after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) staged its 'Democracy Under Attack' demonstration on Thursday, August 6.

The party said the protest was aimed at defending the rule of law, constitutional governance and democratic accountability.

The NPP has accused the government of political persecution, selective justice and abuse of state institutions — allegations the government has consistently rejected.