As indicated in the June/July 1988 issue of Africa Events, a Professor Adu Boahen was arrested for publicly criticizing the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) in a speech made in Accra.

The Provisional National Defence Council was constituted immediately following the military coup staged on 31 December 1981. Since then, it has functioned as the ruling body of the Republic of Ghana (See the Overview of Ghana published by the IRBDC for more details).
Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR's) were originally constituted in December 1984 to replace the People's Defence Committees (PDC) which were abolished in a major restructuring of the government apparatus. [ Donald I. Ray, Ghana: Politics, Economics and Society, (London: Frances Printer, 1986), pp. 69 - 70.] The CDR's are subordinate to the PNDC and function as the local and regional units of government. The District CDR Secretariat is responsible to the PNDC District Secretary. Both the PNDC District Secretary and the Regional CDR Secretariat are responsible to the PNDC Regional Secretary. The PNDC Regional Secretary is directly responsible to the PNDC which is chaired by Flight-Lieutenant J.J. Rawlings. [ Ibid., See table for more details.]
During 6 - 13 December 1988, District Council elections were held throughout Ghana. [ "District Reflections," in West Africa, (London: 26 December 1988 - 8 January 1989).] The establishment of District Councils as the unit of local government has obscured the function of the CDR's. It is not clear whether or not the CDR's will be abolished, integrated into the district councils, or whether they will be given some ancillary administrative functions.
See Attachments

"They Come at Midnight," a letter to the editor of Africa Events, (London: Dar es Salaam Publications, June\July 1988).

George Thomas Kurian, ed., Encyclopedia of the Third World, vol. 1, (Washington: Facts on File Publications, Ltd., 1987).

Donald I Ray, Ghana: Politics, Economics and Society, (London: Frances Printers, 1986).

Endnotes