John Dramani Mahama, the 2024 Presidential Candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has issued a call for the immediate release of Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for the Awutu Senya East Constituency. Okunor is currently detained by the Ghana Police Service.
In a statement posted on Facebook on the evening of June 7, Mr. Mahama urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to reconsider the actions taken and release Naa Koryoo to uphold justice and maintain national stability.
The initial announcement of Okunor’s detention was made by Sammy Gyamfi, the NDC’s National Communications Officer. According to Gyamfi, the police have not provided any justification for the arrest. He further explained that the arrest was allegedly due to a firearm found in Okunor’s vehicle, a weapon that is registered in her name, with all relevant documentation submitted to the police.
Gyamfi contrasted Okunor’s situation with that of Hawa Koomson, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, who reportedly discharged a firearm at a registration center in 2020 without facing similar consequences. He condemned the police’s actions as an attempt to silence the NDC and called on party supporters to demonstrate at the Cantonments Police Station in Accra, where Okunor is being held.
Mr. Mahama echoed this sentiment, denouncing the detention as unjustifiable and a politically motivated effort to intimidate the NDC candidate ahead of the 2024 elections. He criticized the National Security Secretariat for allegedly directing the police action, which he believes could heighten political tensions unnecessarily.
“There is no justification for the decision by the Inspector General of Police George Dampare, on the orders of the National Security Advisor, Albert Kan Dapaah, to detain a Parliamentary Candidate for the Awutu Senya East Constituency in Police custody,” Mahama stated. He warned that such actions undermine peace and stability, particularly with the upcoming national elections.
Mahama called on the IGP, the Peace Council, the government, and the public to recognize the importance of justice in maintaining national peace. He stressed that the police should serve and protect all citizens regardless of political affiliation and criticized the move to detain Okunor after bail had been granted as an intimidation tactic.
“This action taken on the instructions of the National Security Secretariat will needlessly raise the political temperature in the country and spark avoidable tension,” Mahama added. “#JusticeForNaaKoryoo. #FreeNaaKoryooNow.”
The NDC is demanding the immediate release of Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor and calling for an end to what they describe as politically motivated harassment of opposition members.
Source: GhanaFeed.Com
