Akwatia MP Bernard Baidoo has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of hypocrisy over its criticism of President John Mahama’s position on arrests involving individuals accused of offences.

Bernard Baidoo cited a past BBC interview with former President John Agyekum Kufuor, arguing that the former president had similarly distanced the executive from arrests carried out by law enforcement agencies.

Responding to discussions on the arrests of some individuals under the current administration, Baidoo said Kufuor had maintained that the president was not responsible for arrests and that law enforcement agencies were mandated to deal with people who broke the law.

“When people fall foul of the law, it is for the law enforcement agencies to deal with them,” Baidoo quoted Kufuor as saying.

He argued that the NPP was now criticising President Mahama for expressing a position similar to the one Kufuor had taken while in office.

“If you talk about hypocrisy, the one who was applauding the then president now comes to say that why should the current president say that he knows nothing about the arrest?” he asked Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana.

Baidoo also recalled arrests that took place during Kufuor’s administration, including those involving Yaw Piat Stadium, Captain Smart and other individuals, arguing that the former president had consistently maintained that arrests were the responsibility of law enforcement agencies.

He questioned why the NPP was now seeking to associate the current president directly with arrests carried out by security agencies.