Former Health Minister Dr Bernard Okoe Boye has criticised the Mahama administration over what he describes as increasing arrests of young people over their social media activity.

He argued that the government's actions are at odds with the promises it made before the 2024 elections.

Speaking during the NPP's Democracy Under Attack demonstration on Thursday, August 6, Dr Okoe Boye said the government's approach contradicts the expectations of Ghanaians and warned that it risks creating a perception that the administration is prioritising arrests over employment.

"This is not what you promised the people of Ghana. In fact, it is possible that by the end of this year, this government would have arrested more youth than it has created jobs for the youth," he stated.

He said while public discourse should be responsible, alleged offenders should be dealt with through the courts rather than through arrests.

"What we are saying is that people should engage in responsible speech. If it is irresponsible, take them to court," he said.

He questioned whether the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would have won the 2024 general election if it had campaigned on a promise to arrest people for their social media posts.

"If John Mahama and the NDC had told Ghanaians that when we come there will be discipline and nobody should post anything on TikTok or we will arrest you, do you think they would have come to power?" he asked.