The Minority in Parliament has taken ‘strong exception to President John Dramani Mahama’s directive for clemency to be granted to 64 radio stations recently sanctioned by the National Communications Authority (NCA) for breaching regulatory requirements under the Electronic Communications Act.
According to the Minority Caucus, the President’s action undermines the rule of law and weakens the authority of independent regulatory institutions. They insist that the law must be applied without political interference, regardless of which media houses are affected.
The NCA had shut down the affected stations for operating without valid authorisations, in accordance with its statutory mandate. However, hours after the enforcement action, President Mahama intervened, instructing the NCA to halt the closures and offer clemency to the affected stations.
Also Read: Mahama intervenes to have NCA reinstate broadcast rights of 64 shut down radio stations
Addressing the media in Parliament, the Deputy Ranking Member on the Committee for Communications, Mr Charles Asuako Owiredu, described the President’s directive as ‘a brazen assault’ on the independence of the NCA.
He questioned the legality of the President’s intervention, noting that the Electronic Communications Act clearly vests enforcement powers in the NCA.
“If the President can override NCA enforcement today, what prevents him from overriding Bank of Ghana monetary policy decisions or Electoral Commission enforcement actions tomorrow?” Mr Owiredu queried.
He argued that the President’s move effectively renders the law optional when it conflicts with political interests — a situation he said poses a serious threat to Ghana’s constitutional democracy.
Mr Owiredu reminded the public and the Executive that the relevant sections of the Electronic Communications Act — including Section 2(1) and Regulation 56(1) — require service providers to operate only with valid authorisation and to renew such licences at least three months prior to expiry.
“These are not suggestions, they are the laws of the land. So, if the NCA has done what they are supposed to do, Mr President, what’s your problem here? Allow the NCA to do their job. If anything, we can appeal to them to temper justice with mercy,” he stressed.
“When we allow presidents to override statutory institutions based on policy preferences, we replace the rule of law with the rule of men,” Mr Owiredu warned.
They are demanding that the President rescind the clemency directive and allow the NCA to operate independently, and that Parliament launches a probe into the sequence of decisions that led to what they describe as “executive overreach.”
By Osumanu Al-Hassan/thenewsbulletin24.com