Accra: Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has launched a fierce attack on the government over the arrest and prosecution of Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe. He accused President John Dramani Mahama of resurrecting Ghana's abolished criminal libel regime through the back door.
According to Ghana Web, Afenyo-Markin addressed a news conference in Accra on Sunday, May 17, 2026, describing the arrest, remand, and prosecution of Abronye DC as 'a constitutional outrage' and a dangerous threat to free speech, democracy, and civil liberties in Ghana. The Minority Leader claimed that the prosecution over comments made in a social media video was not an exercise of justice, but rather 'state-sponsored political persecution.'
Abronye DC was arraigned before Accra Circuit Court 9 on May 13, 2026, on charges of offensive conduct conducive to breach of peace and publication of false news under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). The charges stem from remarks made in a video circulated on social media, where the NPP regional chairman allegedly criticised a Circuit Court judge.
Afenyo-Markin argued that criticism of public officials is protected under Article 21(1)(a) of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression. He questioned when criticizing a judge became a criminal offense in Ghana and accused the state of using criminal laws to silence political opponents.
He emphasized that Ghana's legal framework provides civil remedies for defamation, making criminal prosecution unnecessary. Afenyo-Markin criticized the court's decision to deny Abronye DC bail, calling it unconstitutional and inconsistent with the principles of personal liberty and presumption of innocence.
The Minority Leader also questioned the legality of Abronye DC's remand into the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), insisting that the intelligence agency was not a lawful remand facility for such offenses. He warned that if a documented remand order was not provided, the detention could be unlawful under Article 14 of the Constitution.
Afenyo-Markin linked the case to a broader pattern of intimidation against the opposition since the Mahama administration returned to office in January 2025. He accused the government of using Sections 207 and 208 of Act 29 to recreate the criminal libel regime abolished in 2001 under former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
He further accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of historically using criminal libel laws to suppress journalists and political critics. Afenyo-Markin called for the immediate release of Abronye DC and announced that the NPP legal team would challenge the prosecution in court. He urged civil society, the media, and the legal fraternity to speak out against the growing assault on free expression and democratic accountability.