<<Print>>

The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has debunked claims that the Akufo-Addo government is spying on officials of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“The government of Ghana, as a matter of policy and practice, does not bug the offices or homes of political parties and their leadership. Indeed, it is not the policy or practice of the government to illegally interfere with the privacy or communication of persons or organisations in Ghana,” Mr Nkrumah said at a press briefing on Thursday, 28 February 2019.

The NDC had accused the government of “shameful state-sponsored espionage”.

“… The NDC is fully aware of evil and wicked plots by certain elements within National Security and government to spy on meetings of its officials, record and, in turn, doctor such recordings for their spiteful ends,” National Communication Officer of the NDC, Mr Sammy Gyamfi, stated on Wednesday, 27 February 2019 in the wake of a leaked audiotape which contains a voice that resembles that of NDC Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo inciting party communicators at a meeting to wage a “relentless war” against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission.

However, Mr Nkrumah told journalists that: “Whilst President Akufo-Addo’s administration cannot speak for past administrations, including the immediate-past NDC administration, this administration does not and has not bugged offices of political parties, its key actors, individuals or organisations for that matter”.

He added that the practice of “accusing the state and seeking to portray to the global community of democratic watchers that the state is involved in some illegality, is unpatriotic and has the potential to undermine the growing respect that Ghana has for its resilient democracy and respect for rule of law”.