A former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, has voiced strong criticism over the government’s handling of security concerns in the Upper East Region (UER) ahead of the 2024 elections, particularly the reshuffle of Regional Ministers.

In his latest article, he argues that this reshuffle is an intentional move that risks destabilising the Bawku Traditional Area, a region already steeped in security challenges and chieftaincy disputes, potentially disenfranchising thousands of voters.

In his recent article, Amidu questions why, amid minimal reshuffles in the past, the government swapped the Regional Minister of the UER with that of the Upper West Region just eight months before a national election.

Read also: Was the Bawku conflict of Oct. 2024 the result of government indolence for purposes of elections?

He implies this strategic shift might create conditions unfavourable to free and fair voting, describing it as “a purposeful arrangement and plan to covertly subvert the electoral system and votes of the electorate.”

Mr Amidu finds this reshuffle particularly troubling in the light of its timing and proximity to elections, suggesting it serves as “a long game to facilitate a particular security and electoral objective of election interference.”

His remarks bring into sharp focus the vulnerability of the Bawku Traditional Area, which shares strong cultural and political ties with the neighbouring North East Region (NER), where Vice President and 2024 NPP presidential candidate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia hails from.

He draws attention to the impact of voting patterns in this region on the upcoming elections, stressing that the outcome in these six constituencies will shape the national picture.

Highlighting the government’s neglect of the security situation in Bawku, Mr Amidu details that recent violence claimed over 20 lives while Vice President Bawumia, acting as President during President Akufo-Addo’s absence, took no action.

“The fact that the acting President, Mahamudu Bawumia, stands to be a beneficiary of the Bawku Traditional Area crisis precipitated due to the indolence of the government only two months before the 2024 elections,” Mr Amidu writes, “comes into focus with his inaction as acting President during the period.”

He also raises questions about the Attorney General’s handling of a High Court case in Bolgatanga, where only lower-level state attorneys represented the government in an appeal involving security in Bawku, in stark contrast to cases with less security impact that receive top-level representation.

This selective engagement, he argues, is emblematic of the government’s cynical attitude toward UER security, risking potential electoral exclusion in a democratic election.

Read also: Bawku conflict: Amidu questions government’s security reshuffle and implications for 2024 elections

“This demonstrates the cynicism of the reshuffle,” he writes, emphasising the cultural tactic of “hitting the heads of northerners against northerners” to quash criticism.

In his final remarks, Mr Amidu issues a cautionary note on the dangers of political manipulation, calling on Ghanaians to recognise the stakes: “What I object to is a purposeful arrangement and plan to covertly subvert the electoral system and votes of the electorate in the farcical name of free, fair, and transparent elections.”

His message to Ghana’s political leadership is clear: “The use of northerners as cannon fodder for election violence in the Republic of Ghana must stop.”