By Adnan Adams Mohammed
Ghana’s democratic resilience faces a grave challenge if political actors continue to rely on force, violent intimidation, and vigilante tactics to secure political power.
That was the stark message delivered by the Chief of Staff, Dr. Julius Debrah, as he urged national stakeholders to take uncompromising action against the revival of political vigilantism in the country.
Speaking at the National Policy Dialogue on Vigilantism organized by Election Watch Ghana, Dr. Debrah cautioned that democratic governance is inherently incompatible with brute force and illegal political militias.
In a keynote address read on his behalf by former National Security Coordinator, Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, the Chief of Staff stressed that the survival of the country’s democracy hinges on strict adherence to law and civil debate rather than physical conflict.
“Democratic governance flourishes only where the rule of law is supreme, and where political competition is conducted through ideas, persuasion, and ballot papers—never through force, weapons, or physical intimidation,” Dr. Debrah stated.
Addressing a gathering of key stakeholders, including representatives from political parties, law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, and civil society, Dr. Debrah emphasized that diagnosis alone is no longer enough. He called for pragmatic, trackable steps to dismantle vigilante networks and insulate democratic institutions against violence.
“Our goal today must go beyond diagnosing threats and challenges,” he noted. “We must formulate concrete, trackable courses of action in the recommendations that we make for the resilience of our democracy, our security apparatus, the judiciary, political parties, and civil society in the face of the threat.”
He urged all democratic actors to build a united, multi-stakeholder front to confront the menace, emphasizing that national stability can only be guaranteed through continuous, synchronized action among state security, the courts, and civic institutions.
According to Dr. Debrah, a unified approach remains the only viable path forward to protect Ghana’s democratic credentials and ensure that future political contests are defined purely by policy, decorum, and the peaceful expression of the vote.