Special Envoy to the Sahel States, Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, has called for renewed national commitment to the effective implementation of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999), warning that Ghanaâs democratic gains require constant vigilance and institutional courage to protect.
Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Gbevlo-Lartey made the call when he delivered remarks on behalf of the Chief of Staff, Dr Julius Debrah, at a National Policy Dialogue on political vigilantism organised by Election Watch Ghana at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
The high-level dialogue brought together representatives of government, security agencies, political parties, civil society organisations, traditional authorities, academia and the media to examine the implementation of Act 999 and its implications for Ghanaâs national security and democratic governance.
According to Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Gbevlo-Lartey, the dialogue presented an important opportunity for stakeholders to move beyond political recrimination and critically assess whether the law was achieving the objectives for which it was enacted.
He stressed that the strength of any legislation ultimately depended not merely on its existence but on how effectively it was implemented and enforced.
âA law on paper is only as strong as its practical implementation, its institutional enforcement, and its ability to inspire public confidence,â he said.
Act 999 must deliver tangible results
Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Gbevlo-Lartey said the enactment of Act 999 represented a major statement by the Ghanaian state against the emergence and proliferation of non-state armed groups, particularly political party vigilante groups.
He said the law demonstrated the statexs determination not to tolerate parallel security structures, organised intimidation or attempts to undermine legitimate political processes.
He therefore urged participants at the dialogue to critically examine the successes achieved under Act 999 while identifying the operational, legal and institutional bottlenecks that may be limiting its effectiveness.
He said the assessment must be undertaken objectively and without partisan considerations.
âVigilantism is a threat to the entire public, not a single political party,â he said, stressing the need for the national conversation to transcend partisan interests.
Calls for concrete commitments
The former security chief said the dialogue should not end with the identification of challenges but must result in concrete and trackable commitments capable of strengthening Ghanaxs democratic resilience.
He urged stakeholders to develop practical measures that could be followed up and assessed, particularly in the communities and institutions responsible for safeguarding the countryxs peace and democratic order.
Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Gbevlo-Lartey said Ghanaxs position as a beacon of democratic stability in Africa had been built through decades of deliberate efforts, institutional maturity and the collective wisdom of its people.
âProtecting that legacy requires constant vigilance and institutional courage,â he said.
Democracy beyond elections
He emphasised that protecting Ghanaxs democratic order required more than conducting periodic elections.
According to him, the countryxs democratic stability depends on the ability of institutions and stakeholders to ensure that political competition is conducted peacefully and within the framework of the law.
He consequently called for a national approach that would focus not only on diagnosing the threats posed by political vigilantism but also on developing sustainable responses capable of strengthening democratic institutions.
Security concerns remain
The dialogue also heard from the National Security Coordinator, Commissioner of Police (COP) Abdul-Osman Razak, who provided an assessment of the security implications of political vigilantism and the implementation of Act 999.
COP Abdul-Osman noted that although the visibility of some organised vigilante groups had declined since the enactment of the law, new forms of mobilisation were emerging.
He indicated that some groups had been reorganised into less visible networks, including internal security teams, volunteer task forces and community security initiatives, while political mobilisation had increasingly moved into online spaces and social media.
He further called for enforcement of Act 999 to be evidence-based, professionally guided and insulated from political interference.
Civil society demands accountability
The Executive Director of Election Watch Ghana, Ms Rose Austin, also challenged stakeholders to move from expressions of concern to measurable action.
She said seven years after the enactment of Act 999, there was a need for a candid assessment of what had worked, what had failed and what legal, institutional, operational and political bottlenecks continued to undermine the implementation of the law.
She warned that perceived selective enforcement of the law could undermine public confidence in security and justice institutions and create conditions in which impunity could become entrenched.
Ms Austin stressed that the fight against political vigilantism was not a battle against any particular political party but a national struggle to protect Ghanaxs democratic system.
Shared responsibility
The speakers at the dialogue stressed that the responsibility for preventing political vigilantism could not be left to the security agencies alone.
Political parties, government, security institutions, civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, the media and citizens all have roles to play in ensuring that political competition does not degenerate into intimidation and violence.
For Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Gbevlo-Lartey, the central task is to preserve the democratic gains Ghana has painstakingly built over the years by ensuring that laws designed to protect the constitutional order are translated into effective action.
His message was therefore clear: Ghanaxs democratic reputation must not be taken for granted, and protecting it requires continuous vigilance, institutional courage and measurable commitment from all stakeholders.
The National Policy Dialogue ended with a call for stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and develop practical measures to address political vigilantism and reinforce Ghanaxs democratic resilience.
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