The Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame constituency, John Darko has weighed in on the recent withdrawal of legal cases against social activist, Ama Governor and #FixTheCountry convener, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, arguing that their initial prosecution was unnecessary and politically unwise.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV, the lawmaker, who is also a legal practitioner, stated that certain cases should never have been prosecuted in the first place, as they risked turning the accused into “martyrs.”
“As a lawyer, I believe some cases shouldn’t be prosecuted. In fact, not even as a lawyer, but as a politician, I think that when you prosecute some cases, you give these people a martyr tag. Ama Governor and these people shouldn’t have been prosecuted,” he said.
The Attorney General has formally dropped all charges against a group of individuals linked to the Democracy Hub protests, who staged the anti-galamsey march in the capital, Accra held between September 21 to September 23, 2024.
They included activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor and social media influencer Elorm Ama Governor-Ababio, popularly known as Ama Governor who had joined other 50 individuals for the protest against illegal mining.
The decision, submitted to the Accra Circuit Court in January 2025, was filed under nolle prosequi and effectively dismisses the case, granting full freedom to those previously accused.
A court document, signed by Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dr. Dominic Ayine, confirmed that the state would no longer pursue the case, bringing the matter to a close.
Although, the Suame MP acknowledged that there was initial justification for legal action, citing damage to public property, he maintained that politically, the decision to prosecute was ill-advised, adding “I thought that politically it wasn’t a smart decision to prosecute them.”
He further suggested that the government’s move to withdraw charges against Ama Governor and Barker-Vormawor was a strategic attempt to demonstrate neutrality, ensuring that the withdrawal of cases did not appear to favor only members and associates of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“I feel that the withdrawal of these cases was to show the public that we are not only withdrawing cases against NDC people. But anyways, I think it is okay that these cases have been withdrawn. Theirs didn’t really cause financial loss to the state, so it’s okay,” he remarked.
While supporting the decision to drop the charges, the Suame MP also issued a word of caution to the individuals involved.
“I hope and believe that Ama Governor and Vormawor will take this as a lesson and at least try to conduct themselves well. They are lawyers, and I hope they will make the profession proud,” he advised.
