The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has questioned the sincerity of President John Mahama’s directive ordering the immediate restoration of 64 radio stations recently shut down by the National Communications Authority (NCA), describing it as “mere optics” in response to public backlash.

Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, June 12, Mr Afenyo-Markin said the presidential intervention appeared politically motivated and reactionary, rather than a genuine effort to uphold media freedom or ensure regulatory accountability.

“Mr Speaker, these are things that are done for the optics when the political system sees that there is a backlash,” he said.

“It is a very rich statement, and we take this supposed clemency with a pinch of salt.”

President Mahama earlier in the day directed the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation to collaborate with the NCA to restore the affected stations without delay.

In a statement signed by Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the President underscored the need to balance regulatory compliance with media freedom.

• Read also: Mahama pardons 64 radio stations sanctioned by NCA

The directive followed a swift enforcement exercise by the NCA, which saw stations including Happy FM, Asaase Radio, and Wontumi FM taken off air for violating provisions of the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011 (L.I. 1991).

The NCA cited Regulations 54 and 56 and conditions attached to their authorisations as grounds for the shutdown.

However, the Minority Leader questioned why such a significant reversal of action by the executive was not addressed internally before enforcement, especially given that the NCA’s operation was reportedly based on a ministerial directive.

“We take this with a pinch of salt—that the NCA, together with the Ministry, has embarked on a certain path, and now Mr President, exercising his supervisory mandate, is telling them not to do it. Couldn’t this have been discussed in-house before the decision?” he asked.

• Read also: Happy FM, Asaase Radio, Wontumi FM and 59 others shut down for ‘regulatory breaches’

Mr Afenyo-Markin suggested that while his side understood the challenges of governance, the sequence of events raised questions about coordination and sincerity.

“We have been in government before, so we can understand the situation the government finds itself in,” he noted, implying that the move may have been an afterthought prompted by mounting criticism.

The President's statement emphasised that forcing media houses off-air while awaiting regularisation could stifle press freedom in a democratic society.

He also instructed the Communications Ministry to work with the NCA to set a "reasonable timeframe" for the affected stations to rectify their status.