Executive Director of the Human Rights and Governance Centre, Martin Kpebu says President Akufo-Addo has the power to allow the #FixTheCountry demonstrators to demonstrate on May 9.

According to him, all the President has to do is to pass an executive instrument (E.I) to create an exception for the protest as he had done for several other events including political rallies, funerals and church services etc.

Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, Martin Kpebu said “Let’s say the President is interested in allowing the demonstrators to demonstrate, he can come up with a new EI – the last one is EI 37, that’s the one that was made in February – so the President can make an exception for this demonstrators, plus don’t forget, it is the same EI that has made exceptions for people to go to church, for people to have funerals, and all that okay.

“Yes, so if the President is interested he can pass a new EI 38 or whatever the number will be by today, and so that will look like what President Mills did.”

The late President Evans Atta Mills in 2006 had allowed anti-ROPAA campaigners to take to the streets after the Ghana Police Service had acquired an ex parte injunction against them.

He referred the Police to the judgement of the Supreme Court in the case of NPP vs. IGP in which the then NPP in opposition sued the IGP for refusing them permit to demonstrate.

According to Martin Kpebu, should Akufo-Addo act similarly, it will serve as strong precedence of two presidents defending the rights of citizens to protest as well as sending a clear message to the Ghana Police Service to stay away from meddling in “political chicanery”.

“If the president makes the exception for these voters, then that will be a strong history of presidents saying that look, they’re not interested in police doing any political stuff for them,” he said.

The Executive Director of the HRG Centre added that allowing the agitators to go ahead with their planned protest would be in the President's interest.

He stated that “the President has such a strong record of human rights protection and all of that. You know he led charges in several of the cases in NPP vs the Attorney General there are a number of cases.

“So when it comes to the paper record very few people can stand up to the President. But now he’s in the saddle so it’s time to walk the talk.”

According to him, the President doesn’t have to make a public display of his intervention, “he may just do it privately, tell the police and national security to grant them access, and it's fine.”