Renowned legal scholar and governance advocate, Prof. Stephen Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar, has cautioned political actors and the public about the implications of allowing individuals facing serious criminal charges to participate in campaign activities.
Prof. Asare’s remarks, shared in a Facebook post on Sunday, January 18, 2026, come amid preparations by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for its upcoming flagbearer election, where party delegates are expected to choose a candidate to lead the party into the 2028 general elections.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Bosiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, recently urged delegates to prioritise a candidate’s electability over personal relationships or family ties during the primaries. Speaking during Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s campaign tour of the Ejura Sekyedumase Constituency on January 17, he emphasised that loyalty or personal connections should not override the party’s goal of returning to power.
In his post titled “Should an Accused Mount the Campaign Platform?”, Prof. Asare clarified that his concerns are not legal in nature, acknowledging that under Ghanaian law, an accused person remains free until convicted and may legally participate in political campaigns.
However, he stressed that legality does not equate to propriety, arguing that campaigning by individuals facing serious economic or environmental crime charges, such as corruption, illegal mining, and public resource mismanagement, sends harmful signals to the public.
“First, it normalises impunity. The public is taught, slowly and repeatedly, that charges do not matter. Accountability can wait. Political usefulness is more important than public trust,” Prof. Asare wrote.
He further warned that such actions politicise justice, erode public confidence in prosecutorial independence, and create the perception that political loyalty can shield individuals from legal accountability.
Addressing political candidates directly, Prof. Asare urged them to publicly reject support from accused individuals.
“You cannot claim to fight corruption with one hand while shaking hands with unresolved allegations with the other. You cannot promise environmental protection while standing beside those accused of destroying the land. The public notices. They always do,” he said.
Prof. Kwaku Asare also called on citizens to reject such displays, warning that societal tolerance of politically connected wrongdoing reinforces a culture of impunity and undermines democratic institutions.
“Campaigning by an accused person may be legal. But in a country struggling with corruption and environmental destruction, restraint is not weakness. Silence or acceptance is not neutrality. It is a signal.”
Chairman Wontumi is facing charges, including permitting mining operations on his Samreboi concession without the requisite approval and authorisation, contrary to Ghana’s mining laws. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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