A private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has demanded that the power to appoint an Inspector General of Police (IGP) should not lie with the president of the land.

The lawyer explained that the police service becomes partisan when one is expectant or sure that with their party in power, they will be promoted or appointed.

Lawyer Martin Kpebu said this on the weekend edition of The Keypoints on TV3, monitored by GhanaWeb, when the panel was discussing the leaked audio plotting the sack of IGP Dampare by COP Alex Mensah, Bugri Naabu and Supt. Asare.

“So, Kofi Boakye will tell you, you know the speech he gave at the New Year school some years ago, he said there is NPP police and NDC police. NPP police, NDC police. That’s always been it. I mean we are talking about the fourth republic and then before then so it’s always been there.

"When you read back police history, you will see that these matters have always been there so, it’s about time we reviewed this constitution so we that we take away a lot of the appointing powers of the president,” he said.

Martin Kpebu further stated that when the police hierarchy once met the constitutional review commission, they insisted that they didn’t like the president appointing IGPs.

“You know when the police hierarchy went before the constitutional review commission, they made it very clear that look, they don’t want presidents appointing IG,” he added.

Background:

A leaked audio recording, allegedly involving a Police Commissioner and a politician discussing a plot to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo Dampare, has ignited public outrage.

In the said video, a Police Commissioner, who described himself as Mensa, was heard with Bugri Naabu, plotting the removal of IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare over fears he will be too firm in the 2024 elections.

The Police Commissioner, who is said to be retiring, is heard telling the politician that the IGP is too firm and will not allow machinations in next year’s polls if he is not removed. He further notes that the nature of security the IGP provided during the Assin North by-election shows he will not allow any rigging in the polls.

“This IGP won’t help us. He won’t, he wants everything to be done fairly and we don’t win elections that way. If we don’t remove him, we can’t break the 8, in politics we need machinations and this IGP won’t allow that,” the Police Commissioner is heard saying.

The Parliament of Ghana has set up a 7-member committee to conduct a probe into the leaked tape after calls by the NDC Members of Parliament.

Proponents of the government have however stated that the allegations in the said tape should not be taken seriously because the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has no plans to change IGP Dr George Akuffo Dampare.

Let's take appointment of IGP away from presidents - Martin Kpebu https://t.co/hzyGXzfcHc

— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) September 5, 2023