Former Speaker of Parliament and political scientist, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, has stressed the need to get rid of vigilante and “machoism” out of Ghanaian politics.
Speaking in a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Accra based Joy FM on Monday morning (Oct 5, 2026), Prof Oquaye warned that political violence could escalate if intimidation became part of Ghana’s electoral culture.
He said there was the tendency for political actors to resort to self-protection if the state fails to protect them from intimidation and violence and that is why he stressed that the state has to be up to its responsibilities to protect the citizens and voters.
He stressed that he did not support the creation of parallel security structures by political parties to protect ballot boxes or their supporters.
“I don’t support it at all,” he said when asked about calls for political groups to organise their own security arrangements during elections.
“The NPP has men. Therefore, let us take machoism out of these politics,” he said.
He also warned that there could be consequences if people felt abandoned by the state in the face of attacks.
“Nobody has got a monopoly of the capacity to resist and to be wild,” he said.
Professor Oquaye illustrated his position with a personal example, saying that if his home came under attack by thugs, he would seek assistance from a group.
Professor Oquaye, who led a committee that examined why the NPP was defeated in the 2024 general election, said the party was implementing the committee’s recommendations, including measures relating to its internal organisation and concerns affecting young people and women.
Police protection
Professor Oquaye also recalled an earlier NPP internal presidential election during which he personally invited the Inspector-General of Police to ensure that the police provided security.
According to him, the presence of the police helped maintain peace during the exercise.
He cautioned against relying solely on political actors to respond after violence had occurred.
Professor Oquaye called on pastors, chiefs, Mallams, civil society organisations and other influential groups to intervene early to prevent political intimidation and violence from escalating.
“The pastors, the chiefs, the Mallams, and all such organisations must step in before this thing gets too late,” he said.
He said Ghana must not allow political competition to deteriorate into a situation where individuals or groups felt compelled to defend themselves because they believed state protection was inadequate.
