A Security Analyst, Colonel Festus Aboagye says Parliament has the authority and mandate to investigate the revelations made in a supposed secret tape about Ghana’s police chief.

The said secret audio, detailed an alleged plot by persons suspected to be high-ranking officials of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), and a top member of the Ghana Police Service to remove the current Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare from office ahead of the 2024 elections.

The unidentified individuals involved in the recorded conversation expressed frustration over the IGP’s alleged reluctance to align the police force’s activities with the interests of the ruling party.

They raised concerns about his leadership style and rumoured association with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“I know there are others who are also good for this position. If I don’t get it and this man is changed and those people that we think are our men get it, [I will be happy]… Because we need to break this 8. That is important, we need to break the 8… Because I wouldn’t want a doctor to become the flagbearer and then we lose the elections,” one of the men who is reportedly a police officer in the audio is heard saying.

As a result, they concluded that achieving the NPP’s ‘Breaking the 8’ agenda, would be impossible with Dampare as the head of the police.

Reacting to this in a JoyNews interview on Wednesday, July 12, the security capo urged Parliament to urgently investigate the matter. 

According to him, a swift resolution to the leaked tape will help build confidence in the country ahead of the 2024 polls.

“The conspiracy at the heart of the audio tape is against the IGP who is the head of the police administration. So even per the police procedure of they investigating themselves and we say we don’t agree with a thing or two, then it will not be very appropriate for the police to be the only institution that probes this matter.”

“Let's also remember that the police service is part of the government structure and it's part of the executive. 

“It's a coercive tool that the executive uses, although largely to maintain public law and order therefore, Parliament which is a check, and balance to the powers of the executive, is the appropriate institution to probe into the allegations or the statements being made on the audio file,” he said. 

Already, the Minority in Parliament has called for a thorough investigation of the leaked tape. 

The Ranking Member on the Defense and Interior Committee of Parliament, James Agalga said such comments pass for treason hence the need for urgent action to be taken by the government to deal with the concern.

“The actions of the one behind the audio for me passes for treason. And this matter must be dealt with as such. It is an attempt to subvert the will of the people in 2024.”

“Such conducts can compromise the security of our country because if the people exercise their sovereign will in 2024 and anybody attempts to stand in the way of our people, clearly we are not going to allow that to happen,” he stated.