The Deputy Minority Whip in Parliament, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has raised concerns over what he describes as violations of human rights, growing political persecution, and suppression of dissent under the John Dramani Mahama-led government.

He made the remarks on May 19, 2026, during the presentation of a petition to Imane Ouaadil, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Ghana and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Ghana.

The petition was anchored on concerns surrounding the arrest and detention of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, widely known as Abronye, who has been remanded into custody over allegations of making false statements about a Circuit Court judge.

Jerry Ahmed expressed strong dissatisfaction with the remand decision, arguing that prolonged detention without resolution undermines justice.

“To say that you are going to be remanded and you will stay in cells until the matter is determined, it’s never done. It can only happen in a kangaroo or a banana state,” he said.

Jerry Ahmed further questioned what he described as executive interference in judicial processes, insisting that constitutional safeguards must be upheld.

“There is no reason whatsoever for the President to be watching over this and instructing state institutions to deal with issues like this. We have basic human rights, which include bailable offences, and the right to be granted bail,” he stated.

According to him, the delegation deliberately opted for a peaceful engagement with the diplomatic community.

“We decided to show a lot of deference to the diplomatic community, so we came with a respected number of men and women, not to come with any form of demonstration or trigger any problems,” he noted.

Jerry Ahmed stressed that the immediate release of Abronye should be a priority, questioning delays in court proceedings.

“The first action is the release of Abronye DC. We do not know why the court has not given us any time for him to reappear for him to be released. This is how the abuse is ongoing,” he stated.

a href="https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/The-judiciary-must-never-be-dragged-into-partisan-politics-Jerry-Ahmed-2030456" target="_blank">'The judiciary must never be dragged into partisan politics'- Jerry Ahmed

He also accused the government of reviving what he described as a “culture of silence,” referencing arrests linked to public commentary.

“The government headed by President John Dramani Mahama does not understand that the criminal libel law was repealed, and that it has brought what we call the culture of silence again. Somebody says ‘dumsor is back,’ you get the person arrested,” he added.

Watch the video below:

LIVE | This government, headed by President Mahama, does not understand that the criminal libel law was repealed, and he has brought back the culture of silence again — Jerry Ahmed Shaib during NPP delegations petition to the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps to intervene in the… pic.twitter.com/ykxzCJaDvS

— The1957News (@The1957News) May 19, 2026