Act 999: Selective enforcement could entrench political vigilantism – Election Watch Ghana

Election Watch Ghana has raised concerns over the effectiveness and consistency of enforcement of Ghana’s Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999), warning that perceived selective application of the law could undermine public confidence in the country’s security and justice institutions.

The Executive Director of Election Watch Ghana, Ms. Rose Austin, made the observation at a National Policy Dialogue on the implementation of Act 999 and its implications for national security and democratic governance, held at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.

The dialogue brought together security officials, political party representatives, civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, academia, and the media to assess the implementation of the law seven years after its enactment.

Ms. Austin said the passage of Act 999 represented a significant national commitment that political competition should not be allowed to degenerate into violence, intimidation, coercion, or organised partisan structures operating outside the legitimate authority of the state.

She, however, said serious concerns remained regarding the implementation and enforcement of the law.

“Perception of selective application of the law, particularly where political actors or politically affiliated groups are involved, has the potential to undermine public confidence in our security and justice institutions,” she said.

According to her, whether such perceptions arose from actual institutional failures or weaknesses in public communication and accountability, they could not simply be dismissed.

She said public confidence in the impartiality of state institutions was a critical national asset, stressing that where citizens perceived the law to be applied selectively, the credibility of the rule of law was weakened.

“Where perpetrators believe that political affiliation can provide protection from accountability, impunity becomes entrenched. And where impunity becomes entrenched, political vigilantism can become formalised,” she cautioned.

Not a partisan fight

Ms. Austin said the fight against political vigilantism should not be viewed as a battle against any particular political party but rather as a national effort to protect Ghana’s democratic system.

“Political vigilantism is not merely a partisan or electoral issue. It is a matter of national security, democratic governance, public order, and the rule of law,” she said.

She warned that the existence or proliferation of political vigilante groups created the risk of parallel coercive structures operating alongside, and sometimes in competition with, legitimate state security institutions.

Such groups, she said, could intimidate citizens, disrupt political activities, interfere with electoral processes, threaten opponents, and undermine fundamental freedoms necessary for democratic participation.

She said citizens who were afraid to participate in political activities because of threats or intimidation could weaken democratic participation, while political actors who believed that force provided an advantage over their opponents could distort democratic competition.

Security concerns

The National Security Coordinator, Commissioner of Police (COP) Abdul-Osman Razak, also acknowledged that while the visibility of organised vigilante groups had declined since the passage of Act 999, the threat had not necessarily disappeared.

He said some groups appeared to be adopting less visible forms of organisation, including rebranding themselves as internal security teams, volunteer task forces, or community security initiatives.

He further warned that mobilisation was increasingly moving into online spaces, including social media and encrypted communication channels, making some emerging networks more difficult to track.

“A vigilante group is a vigilante group regardless of its name, uniform, or publicity,” COP Abdul-Osman said.

He said Ghana had recorded relative discipline in election-related security since the passage of Act 999, including a decline in the open operation of organised civilian groups that previously operated with uniforms and identifiable command structures.

However, he cautioned that reduced visibility should not be interpreted as the complete eradication of political vigilantism.

Limited prosecutions

The National Security Coordinator also admitted that prosecutions under Act 999 had been limited and that legal processes had sometimes been slow.

He insisted, however, that the law remained in force and must be enforced fairly and consistently.

He said enforcement should be guided by intelligence assessments, evidence, and professional judgment rather than political considerations.

“The credibility of Act 999 can be challenged by what it prohibits and how it is enforced. Enforcement should never be perceived as favouring one group over the other,” he said.

COP Abdul-Osman called for standardised enforcement protocols, evidence-based investigations and mechanisms to ensure accountability.

He also urged that security personnel responsible for investigations and operational decisions be professionally insulated from informal political interference.

Prevention before elections

The National Security Coordinator further called for preventive measures to begin well before election campaigns intensified.

He said intelligence monitoring and stakeholder engagement should commence between 12 and 18 months before elections, with youth engagement and civic education taking place between nine and 12 months ahead of elections.

“Active monitoring of political mobilisation should also intensify about six months before elections,” he said, “followed by targeted preventive operations during the campaign period and rapid response mechanisms throughout the electoral period.”

‘From rhetoric to measurable action’

Ms. Austin said the National Policy Dialogue should not end with speeches and expressions of concern but should produce concrete and measurable commitments from relevant stakeholders.

She identified three principal objectives of the engagement: assessing what had worked and what had not worked since the enactment of Act 999; identifying legal, institutional, operational, and political bottlenecks undermining its implementation; and developing measurable actions for government, political parties, security agencies, civil society, traditional authorities, academia, and the media.

She urged stakeholders to move “from rhetoric to accountability” and from commitments on paper to measurable implementation.

“Democracy is not sustained by election alone. It is sustained by the rule of law, institutional integrity, political tolerance, accountability, respect for human dignity and the peaceful resolution of political differences,” she said.

Ms. Austin warned that allowing political parties to resort to, tolerate, or benefit from organised groups using intimidation and violence as instruments of political competition would place Ghana’s democratic foundations at risk.

Chief of Staff’s call

Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Staff, Dr Julius Debrah, Special Envoy to the Sahel States, Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Larry Gbevlo-Lartey said the dialogue was an opportunity for stakeholders to critically examine the successes and shortcomings associated with Act 999.

He said a law on paper was only as strong as its practical implementation, institutional enforcement and ability to inspire public confidence.

Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Gbevlo-Lartey urged participants to approach the issue beyond partisan interests and develop concrete, trackable commitments capable of strengthening Ghana’s democratic resilience.

He said Ghana’s reputation as a beacon of democratic stability in Africa had been built through decades of institutional development and collective effort and required constant vigilance and institutional courage to preserve.

National responsibility

The speakers stressed that combating political vigilantism was a shared responsibility requiring coordinated action by political parties, security agencies, government, civil society, traditional and religious authorities, the media, and ordinary citizens.

Ms. Austin said political parties must take responsibility for the conduct of their members and affiliated groups, while security agencies must enforce the law professionally, impartially, and without fear or favour.

She also urged the media to continue to expose issues of public interest responsibly and for traditional and religious leaders to use their moral authority to promote peace and tolerance.

The Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999), was enacted to disband vigilante groups, including political party vigilante groups and land guards, and to proscribe acts of vigilantism.

The National Policy Dialogue therefore sought to renew attention to the implementation of the law and to identify practical measures to ensure that political competition in Ghana remains grounded in peaceful participation, constitutionalism, and the rule of law.

Source:Joseph Kobla Wemakor