Two NPP figures arrested in 24 hours – But why the silence for one and a statement for the other? Ghanaians demand answers

---

In a tumultuous 24-hour period for Ghana’s opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), two prominent figures have been taken into custody under vastly different circumstances. Yet, it is not the arrests themselves that have ignited public fury – it is the party’s strikingly unequal response.

While the NPP’s General Secretary, Justin Frim Kodua, swiftly issued a strongly worded statement demanding the immediate release of Dennis Miracles Aboagye, the party’s national leadership has remained conspicuously silent over the arrest of parliamentary aspirant Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah – despite his detention occurring hours earlier.

Ghanaians are asking: why the difference?

---

The Afigya Sekyere East Arrest: A Party Directive Ignored

Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah, a media personality turned politician seeking the NPP’s parliamentary nomination for the Afigya Sekyere East Constituency in the Ashanti Region, was arrested on the morning of Sunday, July 12.

According to a statement from his family, legal representatives, and campaign team, Afrifa-Mensah arrived at the election venue at approximately 7:30 a.m. to notify electoral officials of two critical directives: a High Court injunction and an official suspension order from the NPP’s National Steering Committee.

The party had issued a memorandum dated July 6, signed by Acting National Chairman Danquah Buttey Smith, directing the immediate suspension of all constituency executive elections in Afigya Sekyere East and Asante Akyem Central following interim injunctions from courts of competent jurisdiction. The directive was clear: all election-related activities were to be halted until further notice.

Despite this, reports indicate that some constituency officials, led by Nana Nkansah Buadu, proceeded with preparations – including printing ballot papers and delegates’ albums – and attempted to conduct the polls on Sunday. When Afrifa-Mensah arrived to serve notice of both the court order and the party directive, chaos erupted.

The confrontation turned violent. Afrifa-Mensah and several members of his team were arrested by the Ashanti North Regional Police Command. His team has alleged that he and his supporters were physically assaulted by police officers before being taken into custody. Gunshots were even fired during the ensuing chaos.

As of Monday morning, neither the Ghana Police Service nor the NPP’s national leadership has issued any official statement on the arrests.

---

The Miracles Aboagye Arrest: A Swift Party Response

Hours later, on the same day, Dennis Miracles Aboagye – a former Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCC) and spokesperson for the Bawumia campaign team – was arrested at the Accra International Airport upon his arrival from the United Kingdom.

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), with assistance from Ghana Immigration Service personnel, took Aboagye into custody over allegations of financial mismanagement during his tenure at the IMCC. Reports suggest the investigation involves allegations of misappropriating millions of cedis.

Crucially, Aboagye had announced his intention to contest for the position of NPP National Communications Director just hours before his arrest.

The NPP’s response was immediate. General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua issued a statement describing the arrest as politically motivated and an act of intimidation rather than law enforcement. The party demanded Aboagye’s immediate release or, alternatively, that he be formally charged and brought before a court – citing Article 14(2) of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees detainees the right to be informed of the reasons for their arrest and access to legal counsel.

The party also alleged that Aboagye’s lawyers had been denied access to him and that his whereabouts remained undisclosed.

---

The Question Ghanaians Are Asking

The contrast could not be starker.

In one case – Afrifa-Mensah – a party member was arrested while attempting to enforce a court injunction and a formal party directive. He was allegedly assaulted. His team was arrested alongside him. And yet, the NPP’s national leadership has issued no statement, no demand for his release, no condemnation of police conduct.

In the other – Aboagye – the party’s General Secretary issued a statement within hours, framing the arrest as political persecution and demanding immediate action.

Why the difference? Why does one party member warrant a national outcry while the other is met with silence?

Some observers point to political calculus: Aboagye is a high-profile national figure with significant media presence, while Afrifa-Mensah’s influence is largely regional. Others note that Aboagye’s arrest came hours after he announced a bid for a national party position – a timing that could be framed as political sabotage. Afrifa-Mensah’s arrest, by contrast, stems from an internal party dispute over a suspended election – a messier, more complicated affair that leadership may prefer to distance itself from.

But for ordinary Ghanaians watching from the sidelines, the inconsistency raises uncomfortable questions about fairness, loyalty, and whose freedom matters most.

As one social media user put it: “If the party can speak so boldly for Miracles, why the silence for Okatakyie – a man who was only trying to uphold the party’s own directive?”

At the time of publication, EOCO has not officially confirmed Aboagye’s arrest or detailed the specific allegations. The Ghana Police Service has also not commented on the Afigya Sekyere East incident.

But for the NPP, the silence on one front and the roar on another may prove just as damaging as the arrests themselves. Ghanaians are watching – and they are asking questions the party has yet to answer.