Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a social activist and lawyer, has said he went through hell and many times felt he was going to die at the hands of the former Akufo-Addo government.
Vormawor highlighted that his decision to publicly speak is motivated not by a lack of pain but by a thoughtful choice to pursue hope.
In a social media post on X page on Saturday, September 13, 2025, Barker-Vormawor wrote, “Yes, I went through hell. Many times I felt I was going to die at the hands of the former Government”.
He added, “I speak up today, so no Ghanaian will ever have to go through what I went through. Not because I don’t carry pain. But because I am choosing hope”.
Some Ghanaians reacted to Vormawor’s post, saying, “Your resilience is inspiring. Speaking out to protect others despite your pain is true courage. Keep fighting for us, the hopeless”.
“The NPP hasn’t changed; in fact, they openly admit they would do even worse if they return to power. They set this precedent, and I can state with certainty that after all your advocacy for fair trial, you won’t escape elimination under the next NPP regime”, another added.
Another netizen added, “I really admire your consistency despite the fact that you also went through much maltreatment by the former government. You earn my respect, sir”.
“Reading comments under this post. The NPP guys can’t applaud you on this because of the past. Shame and NPP can never cross path. They don’t know shame and will never know one”, one more X user added.
Additionally, a netizen wrote, “You, Kpebu and a few well-meaning Ghanaians have the dissenting views, and you guys need to be applauded for shaping the democratic process of this country”.
In addition, Oliver Barker-Vormawor has said Circuit Court Judge Bright Acquah, on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, case is not fit to remain on the bench.
Vormawor highlighted that after reading the reasoning behind the Circuit Court Judge’s continued detention of Abronye, he sincerely believes he is not fit to remain on the bench as a judge.
The private legal practitioner is quoted by GHOne TV to have said, “After reading the reasoning of the Circuit Court Judge[Bright Acquah] on Abronye’s case, I sincerely and honestly believe he is not fit to remain on the bench”.
Vormawor’s remarks come after the Circuit Court Judge Bright Acquah explained that while the charges were misdemeanours, the remarks attributed to Abronye had national security and public order implications.
Judge Bright Acquah explained, “It is always said that all persons are equal, but in practice, it is not so. Courtesy George Orwell in his book Animal Farm, one of the commandments is that all men are equal, but some are more equal than others. Translated into this case, all men are equal, but some are more equal than others”.
According to the Judge, freedom of expression in Ghana must be exercised responsibly, warning that if unchecked, insults could pollute the society and undermine national security.
Judge Bright Acquah further defended his ruling by pointing to consistency in past cases under former President Akufo-Addo and President John Mahama.
He explained, “One of the codes of ethics for judges is that their decisions should be consistent. I have a case before me, The Republic v. Raphael Okai Ankrah, who appeared on May 16, 2023. He was an NDC sympathiser who openly insulted then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and was given a two-week remand.
Just about two or three weeks ago, another matter came before me, The Republic v. Emmanuel Kwakye, a journalist from Wontumi TV, and he was also remanded for two weeks. So, under two different regimes, the court has been consistent, and the court does not see why it should deviate from that consistency”.
The judge in the Abronye case argued that while criticism of policies is acceptable, direct insults against individuals in authority are not.
He cited Section 96(5)(a) and (c) of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, asserting that bail could be refused if there is a likelihood of the accused repeating the offence or failing to appear in court.
See the post below:
Yes, I went through hell. Many times I felt I was going to die at the hands of the former Government.
— Osagyefo Oliver Barker-Vormawor (@barkervogues) September 13, 2025
I speak up today, so no Ghanaian will ever have to go through what I went through. Not because I don't carry pain. But because I am choosing hope.