'Political saboteurs facilitating drug trade to discredit Mahama government' - Rashid Tanko

Deputy Director of Elections and IT of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rashid Tanko-Computer, has suggested that some individuals from the opposition NPP may be facilitating the movement of illicit drugs into and out of Ghana to discredit the ruling NDC government.

According to him, the recent concerns over drug trafficking should not be viewed only from the perspective of the seizures being made, arguing that there could be individuals deliberately aiding the activities for political purposes.

Speaking on Metro TV's Good Morning Ghana on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Tanko-Computer said the government is aware of what he described as attempts to undermine its efforts in the fight against narcotics.

“I am saying that people are facilitating this thing to make the government black. We know they will arrest them one by one at the port there. And we have started arresting them. Some are already in the cooler now,” he said.

His comments come amid heightened political debate over a series of drug-related arrests and allegations of weaknesses in Ghana’s security systems.

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has raised concerns over recent narcotics seizures and called for action against officials responsible for institutions within the drug enforcement chain.

The NDC official, however, questioned the basis for the NPP's criticism, pointing to what he described as the party's own history in dealing with narcotics-related cases.

He also referred to political developments surrounding the 2000 general election, alleging that the then opposition NPP engaged in activities intended to portray the government negatively.

“NPP, do you know in the 2000 election, what they did in 1999, 2000? They were bringing dead bodies from Togo to come and lie in Accra here and lay them around the place to say that people, women were being killed,” he alleged.

The claim was made as part of a broader argument by Tanko-Computer that the current concerns about drug trafficking should not be used selectively for political advantage.

He further cited the case of Yaw Amfo-Kwashi, whom he alleged was a former aide to then NPP flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo and had previously been arrested in connection with narcotics.

The NDC official also challenged claims that the current government was responsible for allowing Ghana's borders and ports to become vulnerable to drug trafficking.

“This government is the last political party to allow anybody to misbehave with our country's borders. It cannot be. It won't happen,” he said.

Tanko-Computer maintained that security agencies had already begun taking action against individuals suspected of involvement in the drug trade.

He said some of those facing investigations or arrests were connected to the previous administration, describing them as “remnants of the previous administration.”

His comments come after the NPP alleged that laboratories had been established in Ghana to process narcotics for export. The party has demanded further action over recent drug interceptions, including seizures at the Tema Port and other locations.

Tanko-Computer has separately urged the NPP to provide security agencies with any intelligence it has on alleged drug operations, including information on the locations of suspected laboratories and the people behind them.

He also said the government had acknowledged challenges in Ghana's drug enforcement architecture and was taking steps to address them.

“Yes, there is an issue. The government has accepted the challenge, and we are facing it head-on,” he said, adding that President John Mahama and the relevant security agencies were monitoring the situation.

NA/VPO