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The Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame, John Darko, has spoken out against the recent prosecution of social activist Ama Governor and #FixTheCountry convener Oliver Barker-Vormawor, describing it as unnecessary and politically unwise.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV, the lawmaker, who is also a legal practitioner, argued that some cases should never be prosecuted, as they risk turning the accused into martyrs.
“As a lawyer, I believe some cases shouldn’t be prosecuted. In fact, not even as a lawyer, but as a politician, I think that when you prosecute some cases, you give these people a martyr tag. Ama Governor and these people shouldn’t have been prosecuted,” he stated.
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The Attorney General recently withdrew all charges against a group of individuals linked to the Democracy Hub protests, which took place in Accra between September 21 and September 23, 2024. The group included Oliver Barker-Vormawor and social media influencer Elorm Ama Governor-Ababio, popularly known as Ama Governor, who had joined 50 others in protesting against illegal mining.
The decision to drop the charges was officially filed under nolle prosequi at the Accra Circuit Court in January 2025, effectively dismissing the case and granting full freedom to the accused. A court document signed by Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dr. Dominic Ayine confirmed that the state would no longer pursue legal action, bringing the matter to a close.
While John Darko acknowledged that there was some legal justification for prosecution, citing damage to public property, he maintained that politically, the decision to prosecute was ill-advised. “I thought that politically it wasn’t a smart decision to prosecute them,” he added.
He also suggested that the government’s move to withdraw charges was a strategic attempt to demonstrate neutrality, ensuring that the withdrawal did not appear to favour only members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“I feel that the withdrawal of these cases was to show the public that we are not only withdrawing cases against NDC people. But anyways, I think it is okay that these cases have been withdrawn. Theirs didn’t really cause financial loss to the state, so it’s okay,” he remarked.
While supporting the decision to drop the charges, the Suame MP also advised the individuals involved to conduct themselves responsibly in the future.
“I hope and believe that Ama Governor and Vormawor will take this as a lesson and at least try to conduct themselves well. They are lawyers, and I hope they will make the profession proud,” he stated.
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