More than five years after the violent Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election rocked Ghana’s democratic image, former Minister of State at the National Security, Dr Bryan Acheampong, has come forward with a startling revelation—he was not involved in the incident but chose to absorb public backlash to shield the Akufo-Addo administration from political damage.
Speaking at a closed-door meeting with former Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) at Rock City Hotel in Nkwatia-Kwahu, Dr Acheampong said he was unfairly blamed both locally and internationally for the January 31, 2019, violence, which occurred at the La-Bawaleshie polling station. The incident saw armed and masked National Security operatives assaulting voters and opposition party members, including Ningo-Prampram MP Sam George, who was physically attacked in the presence of police.
“Everybody knows I’m being vilified for Ayawaso—international vilification,” Acheampong said. “But I was here in Kwahu on that day. I had been sidelined and was not part of the operation.”
He explained that his troubles intensified after he publicly identified some of the masked men as National Security operatives, contradicting claims that they were members of vigilante groups.
“I just said on radio that those boys were not vigilantes. I knew some of them. Then the whole country pointed their guns at me,” he revealed. “But I didn’t distance myself because I wanted to protect the party and the government. I took one for the team.”
Acheampong’s comments offer a rare glimpse into the political calculations that followed the by-election chaos, which drew sharp criticism from civil society, opposition parties, and international observers. Although a Commission of Inquiry was quickly formed in February 2019 to probe the violence, its recommendations remain largely unimplemented.
Former President John Mahama, during a recent Post-Election Evaluation Dialogue hosted by the National Peace Council in Koforidua, said the Attorney General is now finalising a report to be submitted to Cabinet, with proposals for compensation for those injured in the incident.
The by-election itself was held to replace the late MP Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko. Lydia Alhassan of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the seat with 69% of the vote. But the legitimacy of the poll was overshadowed by the violence, and to this day, justice remains elusive for the victims.
Acheampong’s admission may renew pressure on the government to address the longstanding concerns about accountability, impunity, and the politicisation of security forces in Ghana’s electoral processes.
