Member of Parliament for Assin South, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, has extended his appreciation to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for their support in the aftermath of a failed attempt by state security to arrest him.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, April 9, when operatives of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) reportedly attempted to apprehend Rev. Fordjour at his residence. The move followed his public call for investigations into alleged irregular aircraft movements involving suspected drug-related activity.
Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu confirmed the incident, stating that the NIB was acting on a lawful arrest warrant. “NIB officials are currently at Ntim Fordjour’s residence. They have an arrest warrant. He is refusing to cooperate. They have given him time to cooperate, failing which they will act,” he said.
In a series of social media posts following the event, Rev. Fordjour expressed his gratitude for the solidarity shown by the two former leaders. He noted that former President Akufo-Addo had personally reached out to him and his family to convey his support.
“Yesterday, as the former President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, placed a call to me and conveyed his kind thoughts to me and my family, following the needless invasion of our home without a warrant by men purportedly sent by the government for raising matters of serious concerns worth probing on behalf of the Minority Caucus, I came to appreciate the more how tolerance shapes our democracy,” he wrote.
Rev. Fordjour used the moment to draw a contrast between what he described as the tolerance exhibited during Akufo-Addo’s presidency and the current administration’s approach to dissent. He argued that during the previous government’s tenure, no opposition lawmaker was targeted or harassed by state security for demanding accountability.
“In the eight years of extraordinary leadership of President Akufo-Addo, no opposition MP was harassed by the state security apparatus for demanding probes in the discharge of their parliamentary oversight. Every fierce criticism and demand for probe by opposition MPs were graciously accommodated without threats and harassment,” he stated.
He further criticized what he called growing intolerance under the current administration, led by President John Mahama, asserting that efforts to question or investigate matters of public interest were now being met with undue pressure.
“The level of intolerance demonstrated by President Mahama in his reaction to a press statement of the Minority Caucus simply demanding probes into various matters of urgent and serious public interest is unprecedented and a major setback in our democratic pursuit,” he added. “This is indeed beyond the culture of silence. Truth will stand always.”
In a separate post, Rev. Fordjour also acknowledged Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for visiting his home following the incident.
“Thank you very much H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the visit to my residence this evening following the politically-motivated lawless act of harassment in the attempt of the NDC government to gag MPs from exercising their legitimate oversight,” he wrote.
The incident has sparked ongoing debate over the boundaries of parliamentary immunity, the role of state security agencies, and the space for dissent in Ghana’s democratic landscape.
