Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has criticised the continued detention of Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC.

He described the process as a violation of constitutional principles and an attack on free expression.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, May 17, 2026, Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that aspects of Ghana’s bail laws, particularly provisions under Act 30 and Act 96, are inconsistent with constitutional protections relating to personal liberty and judicial discretion.

“The general tenor of Act 96, which deals with the grant of bail, gives a very clear indication that the court has discretion to grant bail to persons appearing before it in criminal cases upon conditions stated therein.

"The abstention on granting of bail in section 97 is therefore odd, and an unnecessary interference with the court,” he stated.

The Minority Leader maintained that while the NPP does not support reckless public commentary, criminal prosecution should not be used as a tool to punish speech made in the public domain.

According to him, Ghana’s legal system already provides civil remedies for reputational harm through defamation actions.

“What has been done to Abronye DC is a profound constitutional wrong, and must be condemned without equivocation, without delay.

"The arrest itself, the prosecution and remand of a citizen for words spoken in the public domain is not justice, it is prosecution,” Mr Afenyo-Markin said.

Abronye DC was remanded for two weeks on Wednesday, May 13, as investigations continue into allegations relating to misinformation and offensive public comments.

He had been arrested on April 13 on charges of false publication and statements allegedly capable of causing fear and panic, was later granted bail, and was subsequently rearrested as investigations intensified.

The NPP has since questioned the legality and fairness of the process surrounding his detention.