Former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has raised concerns about the Ghana Police Service’s plan to deploy liaison officers to media houses during the upcoming elections, questioning the motives behind the move.
Citing Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) President Albert Dwumfour’s remarks, Amidu highlighted suspicions about the initiative, quoting Dwumfour:
“Is it a strategy to interfere with the work of the media? Is it a ploy to leak information from media houses? We can see some dark clouds surrounding this initiative by the Police, and answers to these questions will clear the sky.”
Amidu commended the GJA for its commitment to press freedom, describing Dwumfour’s comments as an example of “rational optimism” in resisting potential state overreach.
He also criticized the growing politicization of the Police Service, pointing to the 2023 Bugri Naabu leaked tape as evidence of systemic manipulation within the service to benefit the ruling party’s election strategy.
“The leaked recording achieved its objective of diverting attention from the underlying problem of the Police Service being compromised to serve a political agenda,” Amidu argued.
He further accused Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Chair of the Police Council, of leveraging state resources and Ghana’s digitization efforts for political gain. Amidu questioned how Dr. Bawumia allegedly accessed private citizen data for campaign purposes, warning that such actions risk transforming digitalization into an Orwellian surveillance tool for election interference.
Amidu called for heightened public vigilance, emphasizing the need to safeguard free and fair elections:
“The vigilance of a patriotic citizenry is the truest bulwark against long games and election rigging come 2024.”