Political analyst and former New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirant, Dr. Arthur Kennedy, has declared that the New Patriotic Party does not deserve another opportunity to govern Ghana.
According to him, the party, in its current state, remains unrepentant, and its return to power could undermine public confidence in the country’s justice system.
Speaking on Newsfile, Dr. Kennedy made the remarks while discussing the influence of political power on Ghana’s legal system and the ongoing debate over plea bargaining in high-profile criminal cases.
His comments came after he suggested that politically connected individuals often benefit when governments change, prompting host Samson Lardy Anyenini to ask whether he was effectively saying the NPP should not return to office.
“Well, that is a whole new show. The NPP, as it is framed now, as it is constituted now, unrepentant as it is, does not deserve to return to power, but that is a different show,” Dr. Kennedy stated.
Earlier in the discussion, Dr. Kennedy warned that changes in political power can significantly influence the trajectory of high-profile criminal prosecutions.
“The ultimate example is that when government changes, you know, if Wontumi or any of these other people about whom we are making noises regarding ORAL and others, if God forbid in 2028, we find out that the NPP is in power, most of their problems will go away regardless of whether they are guilty or not,” he said.
His remarks were made in the context of reported plea bargain discussions involving Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
Dr. Kennedy argued that while plea bargaining is a legitimate legal tool, it should not create the perception that influential people can evade justice.
“Criminal punitive fines must be on the table. However, politics looms large in the background because when you think of a situation where the government itself announced earlier that it is up to the discretion of the Attorney General to accept some of these plea deals; where people win cases in court and thank the Asantehene and the President instead of the judiciary; and where we randomly file nolle prosequi without accountability as to why they were filed and people get freed, the public has reason to be concerned about whether our legal system is tiered—one for the powerful and another for the weak,” he stated.
He stressed that Ghana’s justice system must demonstrate that politically connected individuals are held to the same standards as ordinary citizens convicted of lesser offences.
“I think that we should be guided by the kind of retribution faced by cassava and fowl thieves, and that big people ought not to get away simply because they are powerful and well-connected,” he added.
Responding to a question on whether plea bargaining is a legal right available to every accused person, Dr. Kennedy acknowledged that access to justice in Ghana is often shaped by one’s ability to afford legal representation.
“Our justice system obviously depends on your ability to hire counsel. I’m just saying that we need to be careful that, in the end, we do not appear to be operating a system where, if you are powerful and connected enough, you can loot the state and then dribble your way out of accountability,” he said.
