Minority Caucus Raises Alarm Over Governance and Security Issues in Meeting with President Mahama

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has formally presented what it describes as “grave threats” to Ghana’s democracy, constitutional order, and national security during a high-level meeting with President John Dramani Mahama at the Jubilee House.

The meeting, held as part of Parliament’s oversight mandate and long-standing engagements with the Presidency, brought together leaders from both the Majority and Minority sides of Parliament, alongside senior officials from the Presidency.

According to a statement issued by the Minority Caucus, the discussions were approached in a spirit of patriotism and focused on what the Caucus termed a growing governance crisis requiring the President’s urgent intervention.

High-Level Attendance

The President, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, was present, together with the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Andrew Asiamah Amoako. The Majority Leadership in attendance included the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Hon. Mahama Ayariga; Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Kweku George Ricketts-Hagan; and 2nd Deputy Majority Whip, Hon. Richard Acheampong.

The Minority delegation was led by the Minority Leader, Osahen Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, and included Deputy Minority Leader Hon. Patricia Appiagyei; Minority Chief Whip Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh; 1st Deputy Minority Whip Hon. Habib Iddrisu; and 2nd Deputy Minority Whip Hon. Jerry Ahmed Shaib.

Galamsey and the Role of GoldBod

A major issue raised was the continued devastation caused by illegal small-scale mining, commonly known as galamsey. The Minority Caucus expressed concern that the operations of the GoldBod, due to what it described as weak traceability and due-diligence systems, risk legitimising illegally mined gold and turning the state into a buyer of such minerals.

The Caucus noted that environmental destruction linked to galamsey has intensified since January 2025. It cited recent assessments by Pure Earth and the Environmental Protection Authority indicating dangerous levels of toxic metals contaminating water bodies and soils in mining communities. Additional data from A Rocha Ghana and Global Forest Watch reportedly point to rising river turbidity and accelerated forest cover loss.

Investigative reports by The Fourth Estate and IMANI Ghana were also referenced, alleging collusion involving some District Chief Executives, political operatives, and elements of the security services. The Minority further questioned the effectiveness of the Blue Water Guards, arguing that their operations have failed to halt environmental damage.

The Caucus called for fundamental reforms to the GoldBod to ensure strict chain-of-custody systems and prevent Ghana from becoming, in its words, “a state-sponsored conduit for illegal gold.”

Concerns Over Public Sector Dismissals

The Minority also raised alarm over the dismissal of approximately 2,802 public servants through directives from the Office of the Chief of Staff. Describing the action as a threat to the independence and professionalism of the civil service, the Caucus urged the President to halt further dismissals.

Citing recent Ghana Statistical Service data indicating that about 1.3 million young people are unemployed, the Minority called for a fair and transparent review process that respects due process. It stressed that the civil service must serve the state rather than any political party.

Alleged Weaponisation of Election Petitions

Another key concern was what the Minority described as the “weaponisation” of election petitions. The Caucus alleged that officials of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have openly boasted about using court actions to overturn parliamentary results in selected New Patriotic Party (NPP) constituencies to force by-elections for partisan gain.

According to the statement, this practice undermines the integrity of the electoral process and transforms the courts into tools for parliamentary engineering. The Minority called on President Mahama to publicly condemn such actions and respect the verdict of voters.

The Caucus also complained of what it termed systematic harassment of its leadership, including attempts to remove the Minority Leader from the ECOWAS Parliament and his referral to Parliament’s Privileges Committee for attending to duties there. It described these actions as attacks on parliamentary institutions.

Call for Presidential Intervention

The Minority Caucus concluded by urging the President to take urgent and decisive steps to address the issues raised, warning that failure to do so could pose serious risks to national stability and democratic governance.

As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not issued a formal response to the specific concerns outlined by the Minority Caucus.