Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, has weighed in on the continuous arrest of persons accused of insulting President John Dramani Mahama and other government officials.
The Majority Chief Whip expressed his disappointment over the recent arrests.
According to Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, he personally opposes the arrests of people for insulting the government.
However, the Majority Chief Whip argued that the arrest although insults are unfortunate, they do not harm the government in any way and called for such arrests to cease.
Speaking in an interview on TV3 on August 8, 2026, Dafeamekpor stated, “I am upset by some of these arrests; they go against the government. Sometimes, the government does not even sanction them; it is the Police. As a government, we must pay attention to some of these things because they do not help. These insults do not hurt the government, so we should allow the people to speak”.
Also, Data Scientist and Policy Analyst, Alfred Appiah, has fumed over the constant arrests of TikTokers and social media commentators under the Mahama government.
According to Alfred Appiah, the Mahama government is inadvertently making silly people popular with numerous arrests of TikTokers and activists for posts deemed threatening or false.
He also fired shots at Ghanaian voices who spread false claims like the Agyapadie state capture document, Serwaa Broni’s allegations against former President Akufo-Addo, and false claims of Bawumia owning Hubtel.
According to Alfred Appiah, Agyapadie book and Serwaa Broni promoters have suddenly become apostles of ‘true and decorous’ speech.
He argued that the same people are today supporting arrests for “offensive” speech under the Mahama government.
In a post on X, the Policy Analyst wrote, “The same people who promoted the fictitious Agyapadie book, the Serwaa Broni claims, Bawumia’s alleged ownership of Hubtel, and several other misinformation campaigns have suddenly become apostles of “true and decorous” speech.
Now, some of the same voices are defending the arrest of people over what they say.
The police will continue to make arrests over speech until the government makes it unequivocally clear that speech should not be criminalised. If someone believes they have been defamed, the appropriate remedy is a civil defamation action, not criminal sanctions!
Government is also inadvertently making silly people popular!”
However, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the government spokesperson, has broken his silence over the ongoing debate surrounding the arrest of individuals accused of publicly threatening the life of President John Dramani Mahama.
According to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, one cannot say people are being arrested for free speech when they are making threats against the life of the President.
He boldly stated that a person who sits on TikTok and threatens the life of a president and his wife cannot go scot-free.
Speaking in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV’s Face to Face on Tuesday, August 4, Kwakye Ofosu stated, “But if you sit on TikTok and threaten the life of a president, saying you will behead the president, put him in a cocoa sack, and attack his wife, you cannot go scot-free. If you did that in any advanced democracy, they would hold you accountable. If you threaten somebody’s life, let alone that of a president, then they will catch up with you,” he said.
He also reacted to former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s recent call for the prosecution of an NDC organiser; he accused Dr Bawumia of applying a double standard by criticising current actions while remaining silent on similar incidents under the previous government.
He argued that Dr Bawumia still has a pending court case involving journalist Bobie Ansah over allegations made against his wife and former First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo.
“When he was Vice President, Bobie Ansah accused his wife and the then First Lady, Madam Rebecca Akufo-Addo, of appropriating state land. The government of the day, in which he was Vice President, put him on trial. That trial is actually still ongoing. The matter is still before the court.
“What was his position at the time? Did he utter a word when he had power and was in a position to influence events? He didn’t. So nobody can take this latest announcement seriously. It is simply an attempt to take political advantage. This is politicking,” he added.
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