We are not against accountability but call your appointees to order — Minority to Mahama after reported EOCO incident

The Minority in Parliament has urged President John Dramani Mahama to call his appointees to order following the 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.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, September 23, when the MP was at the court for proceedings relating to the bail application of social commentator Salomey Baffoe.

Nana Baffour Awuah, who is also representing Ms Baffoe as her lawyer, was at the High Court as she faced a charge of abetment of crime in connection with the alleged publication of false information linked to the “Ghana Jollof” TikTok account.

According to reports from the court premises, persons identified as EOCO officials sought to take the legislator into custody. The circumstances surrounding the reported attempt, including whether he had been formally invited by EOCO and the legal basis for the intended arrest, were not immediately clear.

EOCO had not issued a detailed public statement on the incident at the time of the report.

The situation reportedly escalated outside the court, with videos circulating showing an exchange between Nana Baffour Awuah and a woman identified as an EOCO official before a scuffle reportedly broke out as the MP attempted to leave in his vehicle.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, September 23, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin criticised what he described as excesses by the government and called on President Mahama to ensure that state institutions carried out their mandates within the law.

“Mr. President, reflect on your legacy. You are left with almost just 2 years from exiting office. The question is, what would you tell Ghanaians when you are in your quiet moment? Can you proudly say, the second opportunity you were given by God, you used that chance to transform your country?

“Watch these excesses; enough is enough. Call your appointees to order because this is not the Ghana we want. 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. What we are saying is that a state institution must be seen to be doing its work lawfully.”