The Minority caucus in Parliament is calling on President John Dramani Mahama to immediately dismiss Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw-Kotei, National Women’s Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Malik Basintale, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), over what they described as glorification of violence during the Ablekuma North rerun.
This comes after former Fisheries Minister Hawa Koomson was assaulted by unknown individuals at the St. Peter’s Methodist Church polling station during the rerun on July 11, 2025, leading to a temporary halt of the voting process until order was restored.
During a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, the Atiwa West MP Laurette Korkor Asante condemned the comments made by two officials from the NDC, labelling them as a “new low” in the Ghanaian political dispensation.
Among the remarks criticised was one from Dr. Bissiw-Kotei, who during a recent interview stated, “violence begets violence,” calling it a particularly harmful response to the Ablekuma North incident.
The Minority also referenced a Facebook post from Malik Basintale, who humorously dubbed one of the individuals who intervened to prevent further use of pepper spray by Koomson as the “Flying Python” and noted that he would appoint him to head the “5K Airforce”.
The minority’s stance is that such comments by public officials, who hold responsibilities for youth welfare and women’s empowerment, are not only inappropriate but also pose a significant threat to Ghana's democratic fabric and constitutional integrity.
“Both officials hold senior positions in President Mahama’s government, and their inflammatory rhetoric actively undermines Ghana’s democratic institutions. Their words embolden further lawlessness and signal to potential perpetrators that violence will be excused, justified, and even celebrated by the governing party.
“Such statements from public officials charged with upholding the rule of law are fundamentally incompatible with democratic governance and constitute a direct threat to Ghana’s constitutional order,” the Minority added.