Director of Field Operations of the Unity Party, Hopeson Adorye, has supported the Ghana Police Service’s ongoing crackdown on abusive and threatening conduct on social media but cautioned against what he described as selective or politically motivated enforcement.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr Adorye said efforts to address online abuse were necessary to restore civility and respect in public discourse, but stressed that the law must be applied fairly to all individuals.
“I support the Police in what they have started against the social media threats and attacks, but they must make sure it is not targeted and political,” he said.
Mr Adorye said he was encouraged by the recent arrest of an NDC organiser over alleged social media misconduct, describing it as a sign that the police were willing to enforce the law without fear or favour.
“I was really happy and slept well when the NDC organiser was arrested,” he stated.
However, he expressed surprise over a subsequent statement by former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia calling on the police to discontinue the case.
Mr Adorye questioned whether political figures should intervene in ongoing police investigations, arguing that the Police Service must be allowed to perform its constitutional duties independently.
“I was taken aback when Bawumia issued the statement asking the Police to discontinue the case. I asked myself whether he was the complainant. The Police are doing their job, so how can he direct them on how to work?” he questioned.
He insisted that the police should be allowed to carry out their mandate without interference.
“The Police are doing their work, and they must be allowed to do it,” he stressed.
While acknowledging that some people may choose to ignore insults directed at them, Mr Adorye said society should not normalise abusive language, especially attacks against the elderly and public figures.
“If someone insults you and you don’t care, that is fine, but we need to sanitise society. People should not insult the elderly and get away with it,” he said.
He warned that failing to address the growing culture of insults and personal attacks on social media could further weaken respect and civility in public discourse.
“We must not tolerate and encourage these things. We need to stop it, and it should be now,” he added.
Mr Adorye, however, maintained that the crackdown would only gain public confidence if it was applied equally to all persons regardless of their political affiliation.
“It should not be selective so that there will be sanity and calm in the system,” he said.
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