If you have been on Ghana Facebook, TikTok or X in the last 3 months, you will think Ghana is at war.
A young man insults Otumfuo’s spokesperson. Another insults the pastors. Another says John Mahama is thief. Another says Bawumia is a liar. Another says Sammy Gyamfi must be stoned. Another says Chairman Wontumi must be killed.
And when you check the profile of these insulters, they have party colours behind them – NPP blue or NDC green.
But here is the truth nobody wants to say: NPP and NDC trained these boys.
From 2016 to 2024, both parties weaponised insults. Now the weapon is backfiring. It is biting them.
2016 – THE BIRTH OF THE INSULT FACTORY
In 2016, politics left radio and went to Facebook. NPP had just discovered social media power. NDC was still on Azonto and Green Book.
To win, NPP created what they called “Social Media Army”. Young boys in Kumasi, Accra, Takoradi with free data, free laptops. Their job was simple: attack John Mahama. Attack anything NDC. Call them incompetent, thieves, corrupt. No respect. No filter. The more brutal you insult, the more you are promoted.
NDC saw it and copied. They created “NDC Social Media Soldiers” and “NDC Communicators”. Their job: attack Nana Addo. Call him old, thief, divisive.
Both parties forgot one thing: You don’t pay professional communicators anymore. You pay insulters. So smart people who can argue policy left. Loud people who can insult took over.
That year, we normalized insulting the President. We called Mahama “incompetent” like it was normal to insult a sitting President with his family photo. We called Akufo-Addo “Akufo-Addo the thief” like it was politics.
We laughed.
2020 – WE ADDED MONEY AND STRUCTURE
By 2020, insult had become a full-time job with salary.
NDC had “The President’s Boys”? No. NDC had “Sammy Gyamfi’s Army” on Facebook Live every night at 8pm insulting government.
NPP had “Fixing The Country Movement”, “NPP Loyal Ladies”, “Bawumia Fun Club” – their job was to go under every post and rain insults.
Political parties started giving monthly data bundle, 500 cedis allowance, and promise of appointment to top insulters. If you insult well, you get invited to meet Chairman. You get handshake with Minister. You get contract.
So the boys learned: Policy doesn’t pay. Insult pays.
We started insulting not just politicians, but institutions. We insulted Electoral Commission boss Jean Mensa. We insulted chiefs who talked. We insulted pastors who prayed. We insulted judges.
And NPP and NDC leadership clapped. They retweeted the insults. They said “Our boys are doing well.”
2024 – WE LOST CONTROL
By 2024, the dogs we trained were no longer in kennel.
Election was very hot. NDC boys insulted Bawumia’s wife Samira. NPP boys insulted Mahama’s wife Lordina. Both sides insulted each other’s mothers, children, dead fathers.
TikTok monetization came. Now insult pays not only from party, but from TikTok gifts. So even if party says “stop”, the boy will not stop, because if he stops insulting, his TikTok gifts stop.
We created monsters who don’t need party anymore. Party needs them.
Now look at 2025-2026 aftermath:
– Chairman Wontumi is in trouble. But the same NPP insult machine that used to insult NDC cannot defend him properly, because they only know how to insult, not how to argue law. So they insult the AG, insult judges – which makes his case worse.
– Sammy Gyamfi gave dollars at funeral. The same NDC boys who were trained to attack any NPP person who does “money display” cannot defend him, because they trained Ghanaians to be angry about money display.
– President Mahama calls for reset and civility. But his own online army he empowered from 2016 to 2024 does not know civility. Their fingers only know insult.
– Dr. Bawumia calls for decent politics. But the NPP insult army he smiled at when they insulted Mahama for 8 years, now insults within NPP itself – insulting Kennedy Agyapong supporters, insulting Alan supporters, calling themselves traitors.
THE BITE BACK
Now the system is biting them.
Both parties now want to discipline supporters for insulting chiefs, religious leaders, and elders. But how?
You cannot feed a dog raw meat for 8 years – 2016, 2020, 2024 – and then in 2026 give him kontomire and tell him to be vegetarian.
The boys will ask: “When we insulted Mahama for you, you said we were sharp. Now we insult Otumfuo’s linguist for you, you say we are indisciplined?”
The girls will ask: “When we insulted Bawumia’s wife for you, you sent us mobile money. Now we insult your opponent’s wife and you say we should apologize?”
That is where Ghana finds itself.
WAY FORWARD
Both NPP and NDC must do two honest things:
1. Disband the insult economy. Stop paying data and money for insults. Start paying for policy research, community service.
2. Publicly apologize to Ghana for weaponising young people with insults. And publicly sanction top insulters – even if they have 100k followers.
If they don’t, the same boys who insulted for them will insult them out of power forever.
Because the weapon has left the hand of the owner.