Senior lawyer and Vice-President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has urged Ghanaians to remain vigilant in protecting democratic freedoms, saying citizens should not wait until their rights have been eroded before taking action.

Mr Bentil said the preservation of democracy requires continuous vigilance and a willingness to challenge developments that could undermine constitutional freedoms.

“For me, I am not waiting for all of our democracy to be removed from under our feet and for us to fall down before we rise up,” he said.

“So we always have to make sure that we are staying at the forefront and ensure that we expand the frontiers of freedom.”

He made the comments while speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, in the aftermath of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration in Accra.

Thousands of NPP members and supporters took to the streets on Thursday to protest what the party described as threats to Ghana’s democracy and the weakening of key state institutions under the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The demonstration culminated in the presentation of a petition at the forecourt of Jubilee House, the seat of government.

The NPP delegation was led by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, General Secretary Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and the Chief of Staff to NPP flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

The party had earlier submitted a separate petition to the Supreme Court.

He acknowledged that there were arguments on both sides of the debate over whether selective justice exists in Ghana.

“I think those arguing for selective justice will have enough facts to back what they are saying, but those who are also arguing that we don’t have selective justice will have their case too,” he said.

However, he suggested that the ultimate assessment would come from the government's record over its four-year mandate.

“But the proof of the pudding is in its eating,” he said.

According to Mr Bentil, the government and the governing NDC would ultimately be judged by the decisions and actions taken during its time in office.

“This government and by extension this NDC party will be judged after four years,” he said.

He noted that two years of the administration's tenure had already elapsed, making it possible for citizens to begin assessing its record.

“Two years have passed, if you draw the report card, there is ground to say that they have been more zealous in prosecuting people in the opposition and more zealous in freeing people from within their ranks,” he argued.

He said this perception provided grounds for those who believe the justice system was being applied selectively to make their case.

“And to that extent therefore, you can claim there is selective justice,” he said.

For Mr Bentil, however, the debate should not be confined to determining whether democratic freedoms have already been lost.

He warned against a situation in which citizens only react after institutions and constitutional protections have already been significantly weakened.

He has previously argued that democratic decline can happen gradually, rather than through a single dramatic event.

“When you see people demonstrating, whether you agree with them or not, first have the respect for the fact that they put themselves on the line to push the boundaries of our democracy,” he said.

For Mr Bentil, the willingness of citizens to challenge authority is itself an important safeguard against the concentration of political power.