NPP’s Masawudu expresses doubt about Azorka’s arrest

The Third National Vice Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Osman Masawudu, has expressed scepticism about claims by the Ghana Police Service that Sofo Azorka, the Second National Vice Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), has been arrested.

Azorka is alleged to have assaulted him during the Akwatia by-election held on September 2.

The Eastern South Regional Police Command has confirmed the arrest of Alhaji Sofo Azorka in Tamale on Wednesday, September 10, as part of ongoing investigations into the incident.

In a statement, the Police revealed that he was granted bail after a caution statement was taken and has been directed to report to the Eastern South Regional Police Command in Kyebi on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at 10 a.m., where he will be formally arraigned before the court.

“The suspect has been cautioned and released on bail to report to the Regional Command on the said date,” the statement said.

But speaking to JoyNews on Friday, 12 September, Masawudu explained that he had received conflicting information from police investigators.

“They told me and assured me that on Friday, they will arrest Azorka. By Monday, I called the investigator, and he said they had summoned him for interrogation but had yet to get him. They said if Azorka willingly does not come himself to the police station, they will order his arrest,” he recounted.

He said one of the Kyebi-based investigators later phoned him to confirm that Azorka had been taken into custody.

However, Masawudu cast doubt on this claim, describing it as a possible political manoeuvre.

“For me, everybody knows how tricky these NDC people are. They are confident tricksters. They can trick people just because they fall foul,” he argued.

Masawudu further alleged that the purported arrest was merely a ploy by the governing party to give an impression of fairness.

“Ghanaians have begun to see the injustice of John Mahama, the unconstitutional way of arresting people. So this is one of their tricks, to make you think that with Azorka, they are doing something. But Mr IGP, you can’t be smarter than Ghanaians,” he insisted.