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The Minister-designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has thrown his support behind the completion of the National Cathedral, saying the project was a good idea despite what he described as shortcomings in its execution.

He said if approved by Parliament, he would engage the leadership of the Christian community and President John Dramani Mahama to explore ways of reviving the project and mobilising support for its completion.

Mr. Ayariga made the commitment when he appeared before Parliament’s Appointments Committee for his vetting yesterday.

‘I think it was a good idea that was badly executed. Otherwise, I don’t think there’s a problem with the National Cathedral,’ he said.

He explained that his concerns about the project had been largely personal rather than political, particularly the choice of location.

According to him, the location selected for the project could worsen traffic congestion in the area, while the government could have considered using available land along the coast rather than demolishing existing bungalows.

‘I thought that the location would rather just increase the traffic congestion in that neighbourhood,’ he said.

Mr. Ayariga also criticised the financing approach adopted for the project, arguing that greater effort should have been made to mobilise private and philanthropic support for its construction.

‘I believe that we should have mobilised a lot of private and philanthropic support for the construction, and that also, I think, was a shortfall of the entire project,’ he said.

He nevertheless expressed his willingness to support the project if the Christian community remained committed to its construction.

‘If I am approved by this House and I become the Minister responsible for Religious Affairs, I will engage the leadership of the Christian community in this country,’ he said.

He added that he would also engage the President and, if the President supported the continuation of the project, he would ‘wholeheartedly support and mobilise for the project to be continued, and God willing, completed.’

Mr. Ayariga also pledged, if approved, to help improve relations between Members of Parliament (MPs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

He said conflicts between MPs and MMDCEs could undermine the effectiveness of government as well as damage the electoral prospects of political parties.

‘For any group that is in government, it is not a good thing, whichever way you look at it, because if you undermine each other, you are threatening the very viability of the political group,’ he stated.

He said he understood the difficulties MPs could face when MMDCEs in their constituencies worked against them, and promised to use his experience and office to help resolve such disputes.

Mr. Ayariga further affirmed the right of MPs to use their Common Fund within the framework of the Constitution, relevant legislation and the formula approved by Parliament.

Nationals of countries which have suffered the calamities visited upon them by inter-religious conflicts have voluminous of admonitions for those toying with the incendiary subject.

Ghana has been blessed with a serene atmosphere in which interfaith harmony prevails, something we should not take for granted by allowing ourselves to be used by selfish individuals in society for their evil goals.

Indeed many countries, especially those who have witnessed interreligious strife, admire the religious harmony in our country and would have rather same prevailed in their homelands.

Those who out of obsession for political leverage have thrown caution to the dogs and toying with religious disharmony in the country are dangerous characters who must be called out and shamed.

They have applied assortment of tricks in the past, and witnessing no success in the dirty project, they are on it again. In recent times, they have been busy foisting the banner of disagreement between the two great faiths of Christianity and Islam in the country. With the leverage of social media at their beck and call, they nearly came to pushing the country to the precipice.

With the National Chief Imam and others around, we have always gotten out of the boat of chaos.

They should know by now that the dirty project is not going to work, Ghana being unlike others.

A couple of days ago, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid made a delivery during a public lecture on how some bad politicians are seeking to disregard the dangers of faith disharmony to their advantage. What a pity!

What do they stand to gain when the disadvantages of their pastime are dwarfed by the advantages of peaceful coexistence?

The hotheads in both faiths are willing to be used for the unproductive project of politicians whose quest for political power can drive them to all lengths.

Such lectures are in the interest of the national security and should be encouraged by all means and their frequencies increased.

Periodic national discourses on the subject is encouraged, considering the unquantifiable advantages inherent in such engagements.

Anybody whose utterance or actions impugn the prevailing peace in the country is endangering the country’s harmony and should be treated as a criminal.

We know of families whose members belong to both Islam and Christianity sharing same compounds and even roofs. It is outright nonsense that selfish politicians should be allowed to rock the boat of national peace without suffering our wrath. These persons would be quick to flee the country should there be chaos.

We are one people with a common national destiny, our diverse faiths standing us in a position to show off our admirable attribute. We have come a long way together as one people who should be able to overshadow the trickeries and lies of evil-minded persons, since after all monotheism is common to us all.

THE ISRAELI Ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilad, has disagreed with President John Dramani Mahama over his comments on the situation in Gaza, stating that the President’s description of Israel’s actions as genocide is wrong.

Speaking in a media engagement, Ambassador Gilad said while he has huge respect for President Mahama as an international figure, he believes the President got it wrong both at the United Nations and in his recent interview with Turkish broadcaster TRT.

‘I think President Mahama, which we have a lot of huge respect to him as an individual, however, we think he was wrong at the UN, and I think he was wrong yesterday. I heard very clearly the interview he gave to TRT, and I think he is wrong,’ the Ambassador stated.

According to him, the definition of genocide is not based on casualty figures but on intent. ‘The definition of genocide is not the number of casualties, and I do not deny that the number of casualties in Gaza was big, but the definition of genocide is the intention.’

According to international humanitarian law, what defines genocide is the intention of one side to annihilate, to destroy completely the other side,’ he explained. Ambassador Gilad argued that Israel’s military activity in Gaza following the October 7 attack was defensive and had no intention to annihilate Palestinians.

‘Israeli activity in Gaza following the 7th of October was a defensive one. Indeed, the toll in human life, what is known as collateral damage, was big, painful even for us. However, there was no intention whatsoever to destroy, to annihilate the Palestinian people. In that sense, I think the President is wrong,’ he added.

The Ambassador noted that TRT is an official Turkish network and that Turkey is currently not a friendly state to Israel, but stressed that Israel and Ghana have historically friendly relations dating back to 1957, though the war in Gaza has cast some shadow over it.

On the escalating tensions between Israel and Turkey over Syria, Ambassador Gilad said Israel has no intention to take on Turkey, but wants to ensure Syria does not pose a threat to Israel.

‘Israel has no intention to take on Turkey. Our conflict is not with Turkey. We want to make sure that Syria… is not facing any threat to Israel. We have enough challenges,’ he said.

He described Turkey’s occupation of a large part of northern Syria and Israel’s current holding of a small part of southern Syria, explaining that the recent Israeli airstrike on sites in northern Syria, about 70 kilometres from Turkey, was intended to send a message to Ankara. ‘The incident that took place over the weekend, in which Israeli Air Force bombed sites which are in north Syria and not very far from Turkey, was there to send a sign to Turkey that leave Syria alone. I think this message was understood in Ankara.’

He noted that the targeted site was an airport suspected to be used by Turkey to deploy soldiers and radar systems. ‘Our Prime Minister was very clear about it. We do not consider Turkey as an element… But between the Israeli people and the Turkish people, there are very good relations that go way back, and I believe that with the changing of guard in Ankara, the relations will go back to where they need to be.’

Ambassador Gilad also acknowledged that Israelis remain traumatised after the October 7, 2023 attacks.

The legal team for the jailed former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has failed to strike a plea bargain with the Office of the Attorney General in his ongoing trial for allegedly causing GHS30 million financial loss to a public body.

The court, presided over by Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Bassit, has as a result directed the Attorney General to file all disclosures and witness statements for case management on September 22, 2026, after which the trial will commence.

Chairman Wontumi’s legal team was given three opportunities and two adjournments to conclude negotiations of a plea bargain with the Attorney General.

But the negotiations came to a standstill after both sides could not agree on an acceptable figure as the money lost and restitution to the state.

Joshua Sackey, a Senior State Attorney at the Office of the Attorney General, told the court yesterday that they were unable to reach an agreement on the plea bargain and sought the direction of the court on the way forward in the case.

Samuel Atta-Akyea, lead counsel for Chairman Wontumi, confirmed the unsuccessful plea bargain but did not rule out the possibility of reaching an agreement before the end of the trial.

‘Continuation of the case does not stop the plea bargain. Even when the case proceeds, we can still do the plea bargain,’ he pointed out.

Justice Abdul-Bassit said the 30-day window allowed by the law for plea bargaining had passed and, therefore, directed the prosecution to file their disclosures and witness statements for case management.

Trial

Chairman Wontumi is facing trial for allegedly causing GHS30 million financial loss to a public body in the course of a business transaction with Ghana Export-Import Bank (Ghana EXIM Bank).

Chairman Wontumi is accused of obtaining GHS14,302,000 from the bank under false pretences.

He is further accused of using a forged receipt, knowing that the same is not genuine, to obtain about GHS4,000,000 from the bank in 2018.

Charged alongside him are Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is on the run, and his company, Wontumi Farms Limited.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail by the court, presided over by Justice Halima Abdul El-Lawal Bassit on May 18, 2026.

Court documents indicate that Chairman Wontumi withdrew huge sums of the funds from his company’s bank accounts and spent the same for his personal use, including investing such sums in other business enterprises.

‘All efforts by the Bank to recover the monies from the Accused Persons landed on rocks,’ court documents added.

LIFESTYLE COACH Nancy Adobea Anane, popularly known as Ms. Nancy, has applauded Whitney Boakye-Mensah, Managing Partner at Innorvations Events WBM, and team for planning the traditional wedding ceremony of Marketing Executive Bozoma Afiba Mamekyi Saint John-Watson.

Speaking on the Afternoon Show, Ms. Nancy commended the event planning team behind the wedding, particularly Whitney Boakye-Mensah, for a dedicated effort to graciously present Ghana to the world through very intricate traditional decoration.

Ms. Nancy was impressed with the décor, describing it as distinctly Ghanaian, saying, ‘Oh God, the décor. This is excellently done. You can separate a good décor from a great décor. The theme running through – guests were asked to wear Kente and you see that the décor has the Adinkra symbols all over. It was so Ghanaian.

‘At the sight of one video or picture, you should just know that this is Ghana and nowhere else. You are not even going to wonder where this is.

‘The men turned up, the women did, the various kinds and types of Kente – they outdid themselves, and I am so proud. And the world will get to see this. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills were there and they were donned in the Kente.’

She also revealed a detail about the organisation that impressed her. ‘Do you know what I found out? I found out that there was a standby tailor handling any emergency. So if, for instance, you were wearing something small or something came out, they will immediately fix you.’

‘I must applaud Whitney and the team for what they bid. Very beautiful designs and decoration. Whitney Boakye-Mensah outdid herself, she and the team that organised this,’ she stated.

She added, ‘I realised this was an effort to project Ghana as a nation, to project our traditions as Africans and also as Akans. The young lady is from the Central Region, she is Ghanaian by birth, but she is huge in America. And on a special day like this, she decided she wants to bring it home. She wants the people that know her, respect her and love her to know her people and her roots. And she did sell Ghana. It was marketing and a sales event.’

‘Summer on the Hills’ lived up to its core belief – great music and great experiences bring people together. The much-anticipated party rave came off last Sunday, August 23, 2026, at the Underbridge Annex, East Legon, drawing thousands of party lovers for a full day-to-night experience.

Curated as more than just a concert, the event delivered on its promise of diversity, authentic connection, and unforgettable moments, with games, beautiful photo areas, brand activations, food vendors, cabana vibes, and electrifying performances that kept the party mood alive till daybreak.

The highlight of the night was Nigerian street-hop sensation Seyi Vibez, the headline artiste everyone came to see, who shared one stage and gave fans an unforgettable performance.

Hosted by KhalifaOfAccra and @naskoone, the event ran from 4 p.m. till daybreak as advertised. The day side was packed with activities including games, a vendor section, and brand activations, including Hennessy, while the night side transformed into a full club experience.

Music for the night was served by a solid DJ lineup – DJ Millzy, DJ Vigos, DJ Miliki, DJ Wallpaper, DJ Bryant, DJ Speech, DJ KBrown and DJ Freak – with hype from MCs Ben Arthur, El Chapo, Kayblack, Trapper and Jerome.

Patrons turned up in their best smart and sexy summer wear, as required by the dress code, and partied in a big, well-secured space.

Beyond the music, Summer on the Hills achieved its broader goal – bringing people together to connect, have fun, socialise, and create sales opportunities for vendors. The event, strictly for 20 years and above, once again proved why it remains one of Accra’s most anticipated summer party experiences.

The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has second the use of the Publican Artificial Intelligence (AI) Trade Solution at the country’s ports.

According to IEAG, the AI-powered valuation system

has generated more than US$300 million in additional customs revenue since its implementation at Ghana’s ports.

The Association mentioned that the new system had also contributed to a 17.5 per cent increase in assessed customs collections over values originally declared by importers.

Addressing a media conference in Accra, the Executive Secretary of the IEAG, Samson Asaki Awingobit, said the Association’s assessment was based on practical experiences of its members after several months of implementation.

He said approximately 366,000 import declarations had been analysed, with about 24 per cent triggering valuation risk indicators requiring further review.

According to the IEAG, assessed customs collections increased by approximately US$73.44 million in March alone, representing a 25.7 percent uplift.

The Association said the figures demonstrated that technology could significantly improve domestic revenue mobilisation without necessarily introducing new system.

Mr Awingobit said although the Association initially had concerns about stakeholder engagement, transparency, data integrity, system integration and operational readiness, extensive engagements with the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) addressed many of those concerns.

He said the IEAG subsequently supported the implementation of Publican AI because it was convinced that the objectives of the reform were in the national interest.

The Association said the system had helped reduce excessive human discretion in customs valuation and promoted greater consistency and predictability in the assessment of duties.

It, however, called for improvements in the appeals process, continuous calibration of the valuation database, regular stakeholder engagement and additional training for Customs officers, freight forwarders and clearing agents.

Importers cautioned against inflated charges

The IEAG also cautioned importers to independently verify duty assessments communicated to them by freight forwarders and clearing agents.

It said it had received complaints that some unscrupulous agents were allegedly exploiting misunderstandings surrounding the Publican AI system to quote exaggerated customs charges to unsuspecting importers.

The Association therefore urged importers to demand proper documentation and seek clarification whenever they were in doubt.

However, the IEAG seized the opportunity to express concern about persistent container congestion at the Tema Port, saying it was contributing significantly to vehicular and trade traffic within the port enclave and adjoining areas.

It called on the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to accelerate measures to address the problem.

The Association proposed that the GPHA consider not renewing selected leases, where appropriate, and use such spaces to develop ultra-modern container terminal facilities to augment existing facilities at the main port and Terminal Three.

It said additional capacity would improve cargo handling efficiency, reduce congestion and facilitate the smooth movement of goods and vehicles.

The Association further raised concerns over what it described as the apparent disregard by some shipping lines and their agents for the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) directive on the regulated Container Administrative Charge (CAC), also known as the local handling charge.

It said the current regulatory ceiling was GHS720 per Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) for both import and export containers.

The IEAG warned that charges above the approved ceiling could increase the cost of doing business at the ports and undermine efforts to make Ghana’s ports more competitive.

It consequently appealed to the Minister for Transport to convene an urgent meeting involving the GSA, shipping lines, shipping agents, freight forwarders, importers, exporters and other relevant stakeholders to resolve the matter.

The IEAG further called on the GRA to strengthen its digital services and payment platforms following a recent breakdown of government digital services at the port, particularly the Ghana.gov platform.

The Association said the system was reportedly unavailable for about a week before it was restored, resulting in significant time and financial losses to businesses operating at the port.

It urged the GRA to invest in system resilience, maintenance, technical support and contingency arrangements to ensure uninterrupted port operations.

The Association commended the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) and the Bank of Ghana (BoG) for what it described as their significant contribution to economic and business stability.

It said GoldBod’s gold trading and related policies had helped strengthen Ghana’s foreign exchange position and improve the availability of foreign exchange for legitimate business activities.

The IEAG also praised the Bank of Ghana for its monetary policy interventions, foreign exchange market operations and measures aimed at strengthening the country’s external buffers.

The Association particularly welcomed the decline in the average lending rate from 30.3 per cent in December 2024 to 20.5 per cent in December 2025, saying lower borrowing costs would provide relief to businesses, including importers and exporters who require working capital.

The IEAG also commended Ghana Link for improvements in the operation of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) at the country’s ports.

The Association said there had been little or no major complaints regarding port-clearance challenges associated with the Ghana Link system since the beginning of the year.

It attributed the improvement to enhanced technical services and interventions undertaken by the company.

The Association also expressed full support for the Ghana Standards Authority’s planned implementation of the Pre-Shipment Inspection and Vehicle Age Verification (PVoC) programme for imported used vehicles, which is scheduled to take effect from October 1.

It said the programme would help prevent the importation of substandard and unsafe vehicles while improving compliance with Ghana’s safety and environmental requirements.

The IEAG further said the programme would improve the traceability of imported vehicles and help address concerns relating to stolen and accident-damaged vehicles. It urged its members to embrace the new system.

The IEAG said it remained committed to supporting policies and reforms that promote transparency, revenue mobilisation, trade facilitation and an efficient business environment.

It, however, stressed that the gains from Publican AI and other trade reforms must be complemented by efficient port infrastructure, reliable digital systems, enhanced security and effective stakeholder engagement.

The Association therefore urged the relevant authorities to urgently address container congestion, port security and digital service disruptions to make Ghana’s ports more competitive, secure and responsive to the needs of legitimate businesses.

I sincerely believe and conclude from the bottom of my heart that nothing useful by way of evidential results would come out of any Ghanaian investigation into the Asante-Aksa-Ghana corruption, corruption related and other criminal offences such as money laundry deals that were consummated between 2014 and 2017 leading to the conviction of the principal facilitator of the corruption transactions, Asante Kwaku Berko, by the United States District Court Eastern District of New York on 6 August 2026. The evidence will be suppressed!

The Asante Berko-Aksa-Ghana bribery deal for which Asante Berko was convicted in the US on 6 August 2026 relates only to the bribery and corruption of public officials of the John Mahama government between 2014 and the early part of 2017 after Berko had resigned from Goldman Sachs in December 2016 to enable investigations into his conduct.

It had nothing to do with bribery and corruption during the Nana Akufo-Addo’s government. Of course, the corruption transaction involving AKSA continued as some payments were made in July 2018 according to the investigation from the OSP.

There is, however, a concerted attempt by the government to present the conviction of Asante Berko in the US for bribery as having been committed during the tenures of the Mahama National Democratic Congress government (2013-2016) and the Akufo-Addo New Patriotic Party government (2017 -2024).

The AKSA bribery might have continued bi-partisanly in Parliament and under the Nana Akufo-Addo government and continues to date as AKSA has become an institution in Ghana.

But any attempt to extend the conviction of Asante Berko as involving criminal activities beyond December 2016 when he resigned from Goldman Sachs for internal investigations for his misconduct will be an attempt to establish equalization as the government did in 2012 with the Justice Appau Commission of Enquiry.

The Mills/Mahama government when it was faced by my accusations of suppressing the criminal investigations of the GARGANTUAN CRIMES involving its Ministers of State and financier, Alfred Abesi Woyome and others, set up the Commission of Enquiry into Judgement Debt to pre-empt my intended action in the Supreme Court.

I beat the government to the game by commencing my constitutional actions against Wayome and Isofton before the Commission could be established. I won Amidu v Attorney-General and 3 Others (the Woyome case) and Amidu v Attorney-General and 2 Others (the Isofoton case) in the Supreme Court. The findings and recommendations of the Commission of Enquiry were never implemented by the government.

The Mahama government should deal separately with investigating the public officials and the politically exposed relative of President Mahama indicted for the trial of Asante Berko in the US in the Asante Berko-Aksa-Ghana bribery deal for which Asante Berko was convicted in the US.

The OSP commenced investigations in April 2020 while Asante Berko had resigned from Goldman Sachs in December 2016 to enable investigations into his conduct to establish credentials of incorruptibility.

This had nothing to do with any continued bribery and corruption by ASKA under the Nana Akufo-Addo government’s tenure from 7 January 2017 to 7 January 2025 which was not the subject of the US convictions of the Mahama government’s chief corruption facilitator from Goldman Sach. Mixing the two cases will be an attempted at equalisation again and not impartial investigation and prosecution.

I started writing this discourse on Monday 17 August 2026 after I had read calls and admonitions in the media from well-meaning and seemingly non-partisan members of the public demanding impartial investigations into the Asante Berko-Aksa-Ghana bribery deal, in particular, today’s news in Joy News and other media – ‘act swiftly, decisively, and ensure that this matter is nipped in the bud,’ and ‘don’t fail Ghana because this opportunity of a perfect storm to nip corruption at its most fertile center, ministries and parliament, may never come in another hundred years’ – are but only two of the demands, by Mr. Abdulai and Dr. Amoah, that I wish to refer to as a sample of the calls and admonitions.

Nonetheless, I still believe from the qualitative data at my disposal that any investigation will just be one of the usual strategical ambiguous exercises in this government’s psychological operations to divert public attention ending in tin air and with no prosecutions when the public has again forgotten this episode and moved on. Six years was not enough for the OSP, so how can the remaining two years of the government’s active tenure yield any results?

Time will tell whether my believes and conclusions are wishful thinking or derived from an impartial qualitative analysis as a participant observer of the evolving democratic practice that has turned all the guarantees provided in the 1992 Constitution for good democratic governance into a partisan electoral democracy machine of the ruling government using the fight against corruption as a smoke screen for winning at the next elections.

Theoritical Framework And Antecedent Facts

In the study of conflicts and conflict resolution the personality and antecedents of decision makers have been established to influence the decisions they make in all interactive socio politico-economic or other environments, be it interaction in inter-personal, intra-group, inter group, community, other social formations, national or international relationships.

That is why objectifying and re-reifying socio-politico-economic facts or ideas as objective phenomenon for purposes of any discourse without reference to the social facts or reality making up the personality of the decision maker or makers yields only abstract results, not reflective of transparent everyday interaction in the society.

Constitutions are mere words on paper requiring operationalisation by various human actors with varied personality traits and behaviour of the particular societies to achieve the end results the framers envisaged and embodied in the constitutional document.

The lesson of history is that no constitution lasts forever. Its survival depends mostly on whether those entrusted by the electorate with the mandate to operationalise and serve the general good do so sincerely or put their personal interests and those of their associated political formations above the general will.

On August 9, 2026, I wrote a discourse on the Asante Berko-Aksa-Ghana bribery deal in which I called on President Mahama as the repository of the executive power and branch of government to tell Ghanaians, ‘What happened to the OSP investigation into the Aksa bribery deal?’

The premises of my discourse was my knowledge that the OSP had in April 2020 opened ‘a preliminary investigations into the…allegations of bribery and corruption contained in the…SEC suit against Asante K. Berko and his cohorts under the supervision of the Deputy Special Prosecutor….’

The style which I had cultivated and internalized through decades of experience as a lawyer and public official from the professional ethics of investigators and prosecutors was to presume every suspect to be innocent until the investigation leads to a charge fileable in a court of law against the suspect and a charge subsequently filed in a court of law.

The media was then at liberty to access the charge sheet which had become a public document or seek an interview limited only to the charges, excluding the evidence intended to be adduced against the suspect.

The OSP changed the professionally acceptable ethical standards of investigating and prosecuting cases by trying suspects in the court of public opinion during the process of investigations and before charges are filed in the courts of law.

While the OSP during my tenure published only cases that had been filed in the courts of law, the OSP under William Kissi Agyepeng as the Special Prosector adopted the unethical method of briefing the media on all cases under investigation except those in which the Special Prosecutor had a personal interest whether as a lawyer before his appointment as the Special Prosecutor or involving relatives, friends and cronies. Investigations and prosecutions were reduced to transactions,

It was under these circumstances of personal interests of the leadership of the OSP that ‘the investigation into…the allegations of bribery and corruption contained in the the…SEC suit against Asante K. Berko and his cohorts under the supervision of the Deputy Special Prosecutor….’ disappeared from the list of cases under investigation by the OSP’s periodic briefing to the media under Kissi Agyebeng as the Special Prosecutor. I have written about the unlawful and unprofessional manner in which the Special Prosecutor oversaw the Airbus SE-Ghana Bribery scandal and then absconded from Ghana until after the 2024 elections.

The Asante Berko-Aksa-Ghana bribery deal which is the subject of our present discussion shares the same modus operandi, environmental circumstances, and time period with the Airbus SE Ghana Bribery scandal.

Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, has officially filed his nomination to contest the party’s National Chairman position.

Mr. Boadu submitted his nomination at the NPP’s national headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra yesterday, ahead of the party’s national executive elections scheduled for October 3.

He was accompanied by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Fanteakwa, the MP for Trobu, the NPP Volta Regional Chairman and several former MP’s who showed up to demonstrate support for his candidature.

He also appealed to party delegates to give him the mandate, arguing that his experience and track record makes him the most suitable to lead the party as National Chairman.

Mr. Boadu said his leadership would focus on rebranding of the party, strengthening internal security, empowering grassroots structures as well as positioning the NPP to win the 2028 election.

‘As for my experience, everybody in this party knows that there is nobody who is prepared, effective and ready to run the NPP as the National Chairman of the party,’ he pointed out.

The former General Secretary added that under his leadership, the party would rebuild its structures and ensure that its members were protected during elections.

According to him, the era where the National Democratic Congress (NDC) snatches ballot boxes, harasses members of the opposition and destroys collation centres will be a thing of the past if given the nod.

He also accused the ruling NDC of failing to fulfil promises made to Ghanaians, including commitments on the 24-hour economy and the fight against illegal mining.

‘The Ghanaian people are suffering from propaganda. They promised us a 24-hour economy, but they are unable to deliver even a one-hour economy. They promised to stop galamsey, but now they are digging to the homes of people,’ he added.

The former NPP General Secretary also recounted the party’s historic victory in the 2000 general election, when it defeated the then governing NDC despite widespread doubts about its chances.

Mr. Boadu said although he was then a young constituency secretary, his commitment to the party earned him an opportunity to serve at the national level, where he gained valuable experience under the guidance of senior party leaders.

He noted that the NPP’s eight-year administration under former President John Agyekum Kufuor introduced several social intervention programmes and oversaw the discovery of oil in commercial quantities, but the party later lost power after the NDC campaigned on promises of doing better.

Mr. Boadu noted that the NPP’s victory in 2016 was achieved through teamwork and strategic organisation involving key party figures, including Sammy Awuku, former President Nana Akufo-Addo, Rita Asobayire, and Freddie Blay among other regional executives.

According to him, the party should strengthen its structures, organise effectively and empower polling station and electoral area executives to secure victory in the 2028 election.

‘It is for this reason that I am coming to add on to what the current executives have done. I am coming with 30 years of organisation, 30 years of communication, 30 years of strategising and 30 years of ensuring discipline in the party,’ Mr. Boadu stressed.

He further stated that his main goal was also to help the NPP win majority of seats in Parliament to support the party’s flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of wasting about 75 percent of the five-day period for which Parliament was recalled from recess, claiming that little progress has been made on the key businesses that necessitated the recall.

The Minority Members of Parliament (MPs), led by the Walewale MP, Dr. Kabiru Tiah Mahama, made the allegation at a press briefing in Parliament following the abrupt adjournment of the House.

According to them, Parliament was recalled to consider three main items of business: the Depositors Protection Amendment Bill, the appointment of nominees for ministerial positions and nominees to the Supreme Court.

They said although the Minority had other matters it wanted Parliament to consider, including a motion to investigate losses allegedly occasioned by the operations of GoldBod, it agreed to the Speaker’s decision to limit the recall to the urgent matters for which the House had been summoned.

However, with Wednesday marking the third of the five days allocated for the recall, Dr. Tiah Mahama said the government had failed to make adequate progress on the outstanding business.

‘Effectively, we have wasted about 75% of the time that we’re supposed to use and consider the urgent matters,’ he said.

The Minority MPs also raised concerns about the Depositors Protection Amendment Bill, saying it had not yet been laid before Parliament or referred to the appropriate committee for consideration.

Dr. Tiah Mahama argued that bills were normally subjected to stakeholder consultations before they are presented to Parliament and subsequently referred to a committee for detailed consideration before it is presented to the plenary.

‘How are they expecting us to use two days for the bill to be referred to the committee, and the committee will look at it and make proposal to the House for consideration? That is not tenable,’ he said.

Dr. Tiah Mahama accused the government of attempting to rush its business through Parliament in a single day, describing the alleged approach as an abuse of the governing party’s parliamentary majority.

He said the development was imposing unnecessary costs on taxpayers and other stakeholders, including journalists who had to report to Parliament without sufficient parliamentary business to cover.

Mr Tiah Mahama also questioned the absence of a strong government presence to explain the reason for the latest adjournment, saying the Minority had been present in Parliament in numbers despite not being responsible for prosecuting government business.

‘If there is no direction in this government, if there is no leadership in this government, they should better hand over to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to lead us, so that we can get government business ongoing,’ he added.

Majority Responds

The Majority, however, rejected the Minority’s characterisation of the recall, insisting that Parliament had achieved its primary objective and that the remaining business would be completed within the scheduled period.

The Deputy Majority Whip, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah, explained that the recall was primarily intended to facilitate the vetting and approval of the ministerial nominees.

She said the nominees were expected to be vetted yesterday, with their reports subsequently presented to the House for approval.

According to her, the fact that other bills were attached to the recall did not mean those bills had to be concluded before the principal objective of the recall was achieved.

Madam Cudjoe-Ghansah explained that the approval of the ministers was important to the preparation of the 2027 national budget, which the Finance Minister is expected to present in November.

She further explained that the handover of ministries to the ministers-designate could only take place after Parliament had completed the approval process.

‘The handing over – we approve the ministers before they can hand over to them, and the Minister of Finance is seriously waiting for them,’ she said.

The Deputy Whip therefore maintained that there was no cause for concern over the pace of parliamentary business, insisting that the government was on course to achieve the purpose for which Parliament was recalled.