Author: Richmond Ampofo Fordjour

Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu, the Nigerian national whose viral video sparked public concern over claims of establishing an “Igbo Kingdom” in Ghana, has retracted the comments, clarifying that the video was from an old interview recorded in 2013. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, revealed that he met with Mr. Ihenetu on Wednesday, July 17, 2025, to address the concerns. “Yesterday, I invited Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu, the gentleman captured in a viral video claiming he intends to establish an Igbo Kingdom in Ghana following an alleged purchase of a…

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has charged seven individuals and three companies before the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra over including the Former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority, Mustapha Abdul- Hamid, over their alleged involvement in a wide-ranging extortion and money laundering scheme within the National Petroleum Authority (NPA). The individuals charged include: Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) at the NPA and Managing Director of Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited, and Kings Energy Limited; Wendy Newman, an NPA staff member; Albert Ankrah, Director of Kel Logistics Limited; Isaac…

Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has attributed the recent violence at the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun to what he described as a contradictory stance by the New Patriotic Party . Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Mr. Ayariga argued that the NPP’s official announcement to boycott the July 11 rerun misled security agencies into lowering their guard, which ultimately resulted in chaos and violence on election day. “Do you know the implication for announcing you will not participate in an election. What you do is that you put the security agencies to sleep” he…

Madam Kate Addo, Coordinating Director of the Public Affairs Subdivision at the Parliament of Ghana, has called for greater digital literacy and responsible online behavior to counter the dangers of misinformation and cybercrime. She made the call while delivering the keynote address at the Sixth Annual Ghana School on Internet Governance (GhanaSIG) Fellowship held in Accra. Organized by the E-Governance and Internet Governance Foundation for Africa (EGIGFA), the GhanaSIG Fellowship is a capacity-building initiative designed to train individuals in Internet Governance (IG) through a blend of online learning and a week-long in-person training session. The 2025 edition was held under…

President John Dramani Mahama has ordered the immediate cancellation of fuel allowances and the allocation of fuel to all political appointees, as part of a broader strategy to reduce government spending. The directive, announced by the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, is aimed at cutting costs and redirecting public funds toward key national priorities. President Mahama emphasized the need for leadership to set the tone for national sacrifice. “Leadership must also bear its part of the sacrifices it is calling on the people to make,” the President stated. This latest move follows a series of austerity measures, including…

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has Ghana Police Services for interdicting the commended the police officer who assaulted the GHOne TV journalist, Banahene at the St. Peters Polling station at the Ablekuma North parliamentary elections rerun. The Ghana Police in a letter dated, 11th July, 2025, interdicted and withdrawn the officer identified as the Adentan Divisional Commander, Lumor, from the polling station and the electoral process. In a statement by the CODEO, it praised the swift interdiction by the Ghana Police allegedly involved in assaulting the GHOne TV journalist and further urged for similar alacrity in prosecuting the…

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has cautioned political leaders from Ghana’s two major parties the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC)—against the use of provocative language in the wake of violence that tainted the recent Ablekuma North election re-run. In a strongly-worded statement, CODEO expressed concern over irresponsible rhetoric from leading party actors, saying such conduct reflects a lack of commitment to democratic norms and undermines efforts to curb electoral violence. “It is clear that political party actors are unwilling to learn from the many years of election violent outcomes and the many victims…

Member of Parliament for Ketu North, Eric Edem Agbana, has called for a nuanced national conversation around electoral violence, cautioning against attempts to equate the recent violence at the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun to the infamous Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election disturbances. In a firm statement during a media interview on TV3s New Day show, the lawmaker condemned the attacks that marred the Ablekuma North polls, which saw former Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mavis Hawa Koomson, Deputy NPP National Organizer, Chris Lord, and some journalists subjected to violence allegedly carried out by political thugs and rogue police officers. While condemning…

Farida Bemba Nabourema, Founder and Executive Director of the Katutu Civil Rights Center, has called on the Government of Ghana to break its silence on the escalating repression in neighboring Togo under President Faure Gnassingbé. She is urging Ghana to show leadership by taking a firm stance against the violence and anti-democratic practices unfolding in Togo, and to use its influence within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to demand accountability and reform. Her call comes in the wake of recent developments in Togo, where President Faure Gnassingbé who has ruled for 20 years, has been sworn in…

Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Development Fund Dr. Hannah Bissiw, has refused to sympathize with former Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister, Hawa Koomson, who was allegedly assaulted during chaotic scenes at the St. Peter’s polling station in Ablekuma North during the parliamentary rerun. Reacting to reports of violence during the electoral process, Bissiw condemned all forms of electoral violence but made it clear that she would not show empathy to someone she described as a past perpetrator of political violence. “As a former Member of Parliament, during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, when she came with about thirty thugs, I…