Martin Amidu, the former Attorney General and first Special Prosecutor of Ghana, has confirmed the validity of the leaked audio tape of a plot to oust the incumbent Inspector General of Police (IGP) by some high-ranking officials of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
On July 11, 2023, an audio surfaced on social media in which a police high commissioner was overheard telling some officials of the NPP that IGP Dampare must leave office before the 2024 general elections because he is a potential obstacle to the party’s agenda of ‘breaking the 8.’
He continued that the police commissioner, who has been identified as Mensa, has four months to go on retirement.
According to him, “the tape is a deliberate ploy to divert the attention of the National Democratic Congress and render it embarrassing for them to complain should the Ghana Police Service fail to supervise the security aspect of the 2024 elections fairly and impartially.’’
In a statement sighted by 1Family Radio, the former Special Prosecutor noted that he recognized the voice of one of the individuals involved, whom he previously represented as a client during his time as a lawyer in the Northern Region.
“The 50-minute leaked tape recording I listened to several times is authentic and not fake. One of the interlocutors was my client in 1980 to 1982 when I practiced law in the Northern Region, whose voice I cannot miss when I hear it,’’ he stated.
He noted, “I have been in his Accra Office on the Castle Road and know that while speaking to him, his phone is always on and he continues receiving phone calls, which interrupt whatever serious discussion one is having with him. By those incoming phone calls, the inexperienced are put at ease about the likelihood of being recorded.’’
“The recorded tape was leaked knowing very well that the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, has confidence in the IGP and would not remove him from office a few months before the 2024 elections.
“The leakage of the tape recording has achieved its objective because the NDC in particular, other opposition political parties, and security and intelligence operatives have diverted their attention to defending and extolling the virtues and perceived neutrality of the IGP.’’
“Free and fair elections are the lifeblood of any democracy. I believe that the leaked recorded tape has achieved the opposite of what it intended by alerting patriotic citizens to the fact that no matter who is IGP, everybody needs to be vigilant to ensure that the 2024 election is not captured by any President’s long game.’’
‘’By all means, those who wish to investigate the authenticity of the tape may do so, but at the end of the day, like previous investigations, nothing will come out of it. The vigilance of a patriotic citizenry is the truest bulwark against long games and election rigging in 2024. Let us defend the 1992 Constitution,’’ he concluded.
Source: 1Familyradio
