The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding the arrest of media personality and New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirant for the Afigya Sekyere East Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Okatakyie Afrifa.

According to Asiedu Nketiah, Afrifa, who was arrested during the chaos that marred the Afigya Sekyere East Constituency executive elections, suddenly became ill and weak at the time he was expected to appear before the court.

Speaking in an interview on Okay FM on August 5, 2026, Asiedu Nketiah stated that videos recorded before Afrifa's arrest showed him to be healthy and physically strong. He questioned how the NPP activist appeared weak and unable to walk shortly after being taken into custody.

“Recently, I saw Okatakyie Afrifa when he was arrested. We all saw it on television. When he was being escorted into the vehicle, he looked fit and healthy.

“The next day, when he was supposed to appear in court, all of a sudden he was wearing a neck brace and could not walk. How did he suddenly become sick?

“Does it mean the police assaulted him in the cells? If it had happened during the arrest, we would have seen it,” he said.

Okatakyie Afrifa is currently on bail after being arrested following the disturbances that disrupted the election.

According to his campaign team, the election was conducted despite directives from the NPP National Steering Committee and an interim injunction issued by the High Court in Kumasi, which restrained the party from proceeding with aspects of the electoral process in the Afigya Sekyere East Constituency.

Confusion as church members ‘fight’ police after alleged ‘weed seller’ runs to God for cover

The team explained that on July 6, 2026, the NPP National Steering Committee, through its Acting National Chairman, directed the immediate suspension of the constituency executive elections pending the determination of an ongoing court case.

Afrifa reportedly went to the election centre after receiving information that the suspended electoral process was still underway. According to his campaign team, his intention was to verify the situation and formally notify electoral officials about the court injunction and the party's directive.

However, upon his arrival, Afrifa and some of his supporters were allegedly assaulted by police officers and subsequently arrested.

The campaign team further claimed that Afrifa and four others sustained gunshot injuries during the incident and were receiving medical treatment.

Asiedu Nketiah reveals what he says are NPP's standard operating procedures for members facing possible government arrests#UTVGhana pic.twitter.com/gqY4lkVVrs

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) August 5, 2026