Some citizens insult and walk free, others are jailed – Dr Bawumia on selective justice

Former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has accused the government of selectively applying the law, arguing that some citizens who insult public officials are allowed to walk free while others are jailed.

Dr Bawumia said the difference in how such cases are handled appears to depend on the target of the alleged insults.

“Some citizens can insult and walk freely and others are jailed because the government doesn’t like the target of their insults,” he said in a Facebook post on Friday, September 18, 2026.

His comments followed the reported arrest and remand of Techiman-based nurse and mother of three, Salomey Bafor Awiti, over allegations that she aided the publication of false news.

According to Dr Bawumia, Awiti, who has a four-year-old child, was picked up in the middle of the night by national intelligence officers and has been remanded for two weeks.

He described the development as worrying and said intelligence agencies should not be used to pursue citizens over insults directed at the President or other public officials.

'Release Salomey Bafoh Awiti!' – Bawumia demands freedom for remanded nurse

“This is not the Ghana we want to build. I can assure Ghanaians that when given the opportunity, our intelligence agencies will not be reduced to chasing citizens for insulting the President or anyone else,” he stated.

Dr Bawumia said he had consistently opposed the use of insults in political discourse and would continue to encourage people in the political space to be respectful in their engagements.

He, however, maintained that opposition to insults should not come at the expense of freedom of expression, which he said was fundamental to Ghana’s democratic system.

“But I also remind the NDC government that any infringement on the right to free speech pushes our democracy backwards. Free speech, as unpalatable as it may be sometimes, is the foundation of our democracy,” he said.

He subsequently called for the release of Awiti and other persons he said had been similarly charged and jailed.

“Please release Salomey Bafor Awiti and others who have been similarly charged and jailed,” Dr Bawumia added.

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