Akufo-Addo’s record exposes hypocrisy in luxury jet controversy – Ablakwa

Minister for Foreign Affairs and North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has defended his role in Ghana’s long-running presidential jet debate.

His response follows calls from Rev John Ntim Fordjour, Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, urging him to resign, apologise to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and support the acquisition of a new presidential aircraft.

In a social media post on Monday, August 18, Rev Fordjour criticised Ablakwa and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) for what he described as “petty politics” over presidential travels. He argued that Ablakwa’s sustained opposition to plans for a new jet was counterproductive and accused him of exploiting the debate for partisan gains.

Responding in a detailed statement on Wednesday, Ablakwa said he remains “extremely proud” of his parliamentary oversight between 2021 and 2024, describing his actions as a patriotic duty undertaken “for God and country.”

“My principled position has not changed and will not change. It has always been for God and country,” he said.

Ablakwa dismissed the criticism against him as “dishonest spin and hate campaigns,” stressing that his actions were guided by the national interest and the need to protect the public purse. He argued that former President Akufo-Addo’s decision to charter ultra-luxury executive jets at \$18,000 per hour was “unjustified, wasteful and extremely reckless,” particularly when Ghana’s presidential jet was in pristine condition and fully operational.

The MP recalled that Akufo-Addo himself, while serving as Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee in 2000, had fiercely opposed President Jerry John Rawlings’ plans to purchase a new executive jet, citing prioritisation, value for money, and transparency. Ablakwa questioned why his own position was vilified when it mirrored Akufo-Addo’s earlier arguments.

“Former President Akufo-Addo didn’t think President Rawlings’ presidential jet acquisition should be exempt from the principles of prioritisation, prudence, value for money and transparency — so what changed when he became President 17 years later?” he asked.

Ablakwa said he has no regrets about leading what he described as a “successful patriotic campaign” that eventually compelled Akufo-Addo to abandon chartered flights in the second half of 2023 and rely exclusively on Ghana’s presidential jet until the end of his tenure on January 6, 2025.

“That President Akufo-Addo relied exclusively on Ghana’s Presidential Jet for over 18 months until he left office confirms that I wasn’t wrong when I insisted that the Presidential Jet, purchased by President Kufuor in 2008 and used by the Mills and Mahama administrations, was fit for purpose,” he added.

He also noted that during the period when President Akufo-Addo refused to use the presidential jet, other African leaders were comfortable using it, further proof that the aircraft was in excellent condition. Ablakwa referenced confirmations by former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul and former National Security Minister Albert Kan Dapaah in Parliament in June 2021 that the jet was fully airworthy, dismissing claims that it was unfit for purpose.

Ablakwa further linked what he described as Akufo-Addo’s “profligate spending” on chartered jets, which cost taxpayers more than GHS120 million, to Ghana’s worsening financial crisis, arguing that the nation could have avoided bankruptcy and the painful IMF-backed debt restructuring had resources been managed prudently.

He also ridiculed calls for him to apologise or resign, describing them as “comical,” and suggested that those attempting to emulate his oversight role had been “spectacularly disastrous.”

“It is really comical that the very people demanding of me to apologise or resign are the same people trying so hard to emulate my actions,” he said, adding that many well-meaning Ghanaians have urged him to organise workshops for MPs on effective oversight.

Ablakwa concluded his statement by reaffirming his commitment to patriotism, modesty, and frugality under the current Mahama-led administration, promising a renewed focus on safeguarding the public purse.

“President Mahama’s government will continue to reset Ghana with truth, modesty, frugality and deep respect for the Ghanaian people. For God and country. Ghana first,” he stated.