Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader in Parliament, has questioned the sincerity of President John Mahama’s directive ordering the immediate restoration of 64 radio stations recently shut down by the National Communications Authority (NCA), calling it “mere optics” in response to public outrage.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, June 12, Mr Afenyo-Markin stated that the presidential intervention appeared politically motivated and reactionary, rather than a genuine attempt to protect media freedom or ensure regulatory responsibility.
“Mr Speaker, these are things that are done for the optics when the political system sees that there is a backlash,” he replied.
“It is a very rich statement, and we take this supposed clemency with a pinch of salt.”
Earlier in the day, President Mahama asked the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation to work with the NCA to restore the impacted stations without delay.
In a statement signed by presidential spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the president emphasised the need to strike a balance between regulatory compliance and media freedom.
The instruction followed a quick enforcement exercise by the NCA, which saw stations such as Happy FM, Asaase Radio, and Wontumi FM removed from the air for infringing sections of the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011 (L.I. 1991).
The NCA justified the shutdown by citing Regulations 54 and 56, as well as the criteria linked to their authorisations.
However, the Minority Leader questioned why such a significant reversal of action by the executive was not addressed internally before enforcement, especially considering that the NCA’s activity was allegedly based on a ministerial instruction.
“We take this with a grain of salt—that the NCA, in collaboration with the Ministry, has launched on a particular course, and now Mr President, exercising his supervisory responsibility, is instructing them not to do so. “Couldn’t this have been discussed internally before the decision?” he asked.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin stated that, while his side recognised the constraints of administration, the sequence of events raised concerns about coordination and honesty.
“We’ve been in government before, so we understand the situation,” he said, hinting that the move was spurred by rising criticism.
The President’s statement highlighted that pulling media outlets off the air while they await regularisation might restrict press freedom in a democratic nation.
He also directed the Communications Ministry to collaborate with the NCA to establish a “reasonable timeframe” for the impacted stations to resolve their status.
