Mahama Has Arrested More Critics in 18 Months Than Akufo-Addo Did in 8 Years-Kpebu Claims

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has expressed disappointment with President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, claiming that freedom of speech is being threatened under the current government.

Speaking in an interview on TV3 on August 8, 2026, Kpebu alleged that more people have been arrested over their comments during President Mahama’s one and a half years in office than during former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s eight years in power.

According to Kpebu, insulting public officials is wrong, but arresting people because of what they say could lead to the criminalisation of free expression.

“It is a bad record for JM. In eight years, the number of people Akufo-Addo arrested is not up to the number JM has arrested in one and a half years.

“We said Akufo-Addo was ‘mampam’; did he arrest me? Nana Yaa called Akufo-Addo Nebuchadnezzar; was she arrested? Allow Ghanaians to talk.

“As for the insults, there is little you can do about them. It is part of the accountability process. Jerry Rawlings called Kufuor, a sitting president, a thief. Did Kufuor arrest JJ? You can’t silence people through arrests,” he said.

Kpebu argued that public officials should be prepared to face criticism as part of the accountability that comes with holding political office.

His comments came during a discussion about the “Democracy Under Threat” demonstration organised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The protest raised concerns about alleged selective justice, arrests and what participants described as attempts to silence government critics.

Kpebu maintained that arrests should not be used as a tool to prevent Ghanaians from expressing their views about the government and public officials.