If police won’t protect you, you’ll protect yourself – Prof Mike Oquaye backs Kojo Bamba’s election

Former Speaker of Parliament Professor Mike Oquaye has backed New Patriotic Party (NPP) First Vice Chairman Kojo Fosu Boadu, popularly known as Kojo Bamba, in calling for stronger measures to protect the party’s ballots. Professor Oquaye said Mr Bamba’s campaign message was “right”, arguing that the NPP’s reliance on the police to safeguard its electoral interests had raised concerns about the protection of ballots during elections. Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, he said the NPP had previously disbanded party-linked security groups and chosen to rely on the national police to protect the electoral process.

He, however, accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of undermining that arrangement through what he described as intimidation and interference during elections. Professor Oquaye cited alleged incidents involving ballot box seizures, the deployment of “macho men” at polling centres and disruptions that he said had resulted in re-voting in some areas. “You think the world did not see, you think NPP did not see, we saw.

It’s almost as if we saw it before, and we’re not buying it,” he said. His comments come amid renewed debate within the NPP over how to protect its ballots and polling agents ahead of the 2028 general election. Asked whether he supported establishing a parallel system to protect ballot boxes rather than relying on the police, Professor Oquaye rejected the idea but warned that political parties could lose confidence in state protection if they believed the police were failing to safeguard them.

“If the police will not protect you, and your daughter is raped in your home, you go and get a gun. Let’s be completely honest with ourselves,” he said. Professor Oquaye maintained that the NPP’s concerns were not about promoting violence but about what he described as a failure by state institutions to protect citizens and political parties.

He called on the NDC to end what he characterised as political intimidation and urged religious leaders, civil society organisations and other influential groups to intervene before tensions escalated. “That is why the NDC must stop this intimidation,” he said. Professor Oquaye also criticised the arrest of Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, describing the circumstances as concerning.

He warned that continued political tensions could have serious consequences if left unaddressed. Former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, has defended the election of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) First Vice Chairman, Kojo Fosu Boadu, popularly known as Kojo Bamba, amid concerns over how the party intends to protect its votes in future elections. Professor Oquaye said the NPP must take steps to protect itself against what he described as political intimidation, while insisting that he does not support the return of party vigilante groups.