Speaker sets up 7-member c’ttee to probe leaked tape to oust IGP

In response to the allegations made in a leaked tape that suggests a plot for the removal of Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has put forward a proposal for further investigation.

Recognising the importance of addressing this issue, Speaker Bagbin has proposed the establishment of a special committee comprising seven members, entrusted with the task of investigating the authenticity and veracity of the tape.

Following the demand from the minority caucus of Parliament for a thorough probe into the secret recording, Speaker Alban Bagbin has taken the initiative to direct both the Majority and Minority leadership to compile a list of selected members within a week.

The committee will consist of three Members of Parliament from each side of the house, supplemented by a technical expert who will provide necessary expertise to support the committee in its investigative work.

The proposed committee, once formed, will play a crucial role in examining the leaked tape and thoroughly investigating the alleged plans to remove the Inspector General of Police. The inclusion of members from both the Majority and Minority sides aims to ensure a fair and balanced investigation, enhancing transparency and credibility.

The investigation will shed light on the authenticity of the tape and provide a comprehensive understanding of the situation at hand, allowing for informed decision-making and appropriate action, if necessary.

Background

The secretly recorded tape captured a conversation between a familiar-sounding senior member of the governing party and a top police officer.

The senior officer sounded to be angling for the IGP slot but noted that even if he does not get it but Dr Dampare is changed with a pro-NPP police chief, he would be OK by that.

The top police officer is heard telling the top NPP man: “Alhaji, my only problem is, anytime I meet the big man, I tell him that this current IGP, if we make the mistake and take him to the elections, it will not help us at all and I will not even mind if the position is not given to me but that man is changed because he will not help the party at all”.

He continues: “I know there are others who are also looking for this position. If I don’t get and this man is changed and those people that we think are our men [do, it’s OK] … because we need to break the 8 because I wouldn’t like Dr to become a flag bearer and then we lose the elections”.

“This IGP is not correct”, the top officer is heard stressing, adding: “He won’t help us”.

“Alhaji, you’ve done politics, elections are not just [about voting] … sometimes, [in] elections, mafia work is inside, and this man sitting up there will not help our party to do anything. Look at this Assin North. You’ve taken every police officer to Assin North now, including all the big men in Accra. What are they going to do?” he complained.

“Alhaji, we shouldn’t make that mistake at all; he will not help us, this current man will not help us. As for me, I’ve been an NPP member since a long time before I even joined the service”, he said.

“This man won’t help us to break the 8. This man will not help us. Me, I tell everybody I meet that we need this man out as IGP; he can’t help us”, the top police officer is heard emphasising.

Asked by his interlocutor why people like him never warned the president about all that he was complaining about, the top officer responded: “We said it but they didn’t believe it. We told them that we will regret but they didn’t listen to us. They will tell you because you are also looking for the position that is why you are saying that”.

“But when he started arresting party people, that is when they realised that … So, Alhaji, whatever you need to do to get somebody else to supervise this election, you need to do because as we speak, this IGP, he is not good, he is not fine with the military officers. He is fighting the army. You find out. If any army officer is your friend, call him and ask him yourself”, he urged.

According to the male voice, the IGP “has been arresting military cars, commanders’ cars”.

When the voice of the top NPP man interjected to say that he thought the IGP was appointed to the position because he was pro-NPP, the top police officer voice came in thus: “He has never been a party member. Anybody who says so doesn’t know him. This was the aide de camp to the late president, Prof Atta Mills. This current IGP was the ADC to Prof Atta Mills. How can a party member become ADC to Prof Atta Mills?”

The familiar-sounding top NPP man’s voice, once again, interjected, saying he thought the IGP was of the same ethnic group as President Nana Akufo-Addo, but the top police officer’s voice explained that that was the perception because “he was born and bred at Kyebi but he’s not a Kyebi man. The father comes from Krobo and the mother comes from the Oti Region. The mother is a Voltarian but was born and bred at Kyebi”.

He went on: “His close friend was Prof Atta Mills. Immediately Prof Mills won the election, he was given appointment as the Director-General, Finance, for seven good years. Even when Atta Mills died and Mahama’s time [came], he was still there as Director-General, Finance. That is the period he was promoted to Assistant Commissioner to Deputy Commissioner to Commissioner. His rank was given to him by the NDC, that’s why he became senior”.

He lamented: “During the NDC’s time, some of us, after President Kufuor had given us Assistant Commissioner and lost the election, we never got any promotion for the eight-year period of the NDC. With the promotion Kufuor gave me, I held it till Nana [came] before I got [another promotion]”.

“When I was called as an officer, Dampare was a Sergeant. When I was Assistant Superintendent of Police, Dampare was Sergeant. But he became a Commissioner before me because his party, the NDC, was in power”, he complained.

He noted: “Our party people did not do a critical examination. It was this national security coordinator who died, Mr Kyeremeh, he wrote a comprehensive report about all the commissioners, including all these things but his report never got to the president before he died”.

According to him, “When he brings his CV, there are certain things that he doesn’t add. He has removed all those things from his CV. His CV has never indicated that he was the aide de camp to Prof Evan Atta Mills. He didn’t put it there”.

The top police chief claimed the IGP and former President John Mahama are constantly in touch.

“They are always talking. They are always talking. The man knows that if President Mahama comes, they will maintain him”.

The voice also claimed Dr Dampare has qualms with Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia. “He is not on good terms with Dr Bawumia. If you are close to Dr Bawumia, you can find out”, he challenged his interlocutor, adding: “Because he knows that Dr Bawumia did not even recommend him as an IGP. And he knows that if Dr Bawumia gets power now, he will change him. And Dr Bawumia knows that if they take him to the elections, he’ll have difficulties. Our man is not correct”.

He expressed fears that the current IGP will not help the NPP to retain power. “That is my fear that the elections, that this man is going to help us, he can’t help us. He won’t. He wants to make sure that everything is fair but you don’t go to elections like that because elections are won at the polling station, so, whatever you have to do you have to … because the security has a major role …”

Also, he noted that the “kinds of people he is putting at some of the places, they are all NDC”.

“I told the general secretary that: ‘General Secretary, if you don’t take care, you’ll take the party to opposition and you’ll be the worse general secretary. The next elections, you’ll lose. I gave him all the facts. They are aware. I met him and I told him what I’m telling you [about two, three weeks ago]”.

Complaining about the IGP’s security arrangements for the Assin North by-election that took place a few weeks ago, the voice said: “The number of policemen IGP sent to Assin North, I told one of our people that it’s not even proper, it’s not correct. How can you take six, seven commissioners to Assin North? As I speak, the whole headquarters, all the commissioners are there. All these strong NDC guys are there. They are the people he is working with. That’s why I’m saying that if we don’t change things, it won’t help us”.

“Alhaji, we are making a big mistake. This Assin North election is very critical, we need whatever we’ll do to win, we have to do it to win”.

“We should have selected some of our people so that we work with the party so that we’ll know how to do things. He’s just going there to make sure that everything is done OK and Alhaji, you don’t win elections like that”.