Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has accused President John Dramani Mahama of masking autocratic tendencies with democratic appearances.

Speaking during a New Patriotic Party (NPP)-led demonstration on Monday, 5 May, against the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, Mr Afenyo-Markin said the protest was a constitutional duty to defend Ghana’s democratic integrity.

Addressing demonstrators after the group submitted a petition to Parliament, Afenyo-Markin declared: “We march today to resist the rise of a new oppressor and an oppressive regime. We march against the one who wears the cloth of democracy but governs with the spirit of dictatorship.”

His remarks were aimed squarely at President Mahama, whom he accused of consolidating power under the guise of democratic governance.

The Minority Leader stressed that the demonstration was not motivated by partisanship, but rather by a shared concern for the rule of law and constitutional order.

“We march not as partisans, but we march because the constitution demands it,” he added, urging all Ghanaians to recognise the gravity of what he described as an emerging authoritarian culture under the current administration.

Monday’s protest brought together opposition supporters and concerned citizens who demanded transparency and due process in the controversial suspension of the Chief Justice.

The petition submitted to Parliament called for a full investigation into the matter and a recommitment to the democratic principles enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.