Catholic Bishops, Christian Council must speak against state capture – Ade Coker

Greater Accra regional chair of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Ade Coker has accused Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of state capture.

He noted that friends and relatives of the President and Mr Ofori-Atta are occupying key positions in the country and further called on the Ghana Catholic Bishops, the Christian Council, pressures groups and other bodies to speak against such act.

Speaking in an interview with Dzifa Bampoh on the First Take on 3FM Wednesday, March 31, in relation to the resignation of North Tongu lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa from the Appointments Committee of Parliament, he said “The Catholic Bishop, the Muslim Associations, and trade unions must all speak.

“This is not a matter of Okudzeto stepping aside, it a matter of the country. The country should speak."

Mr Ade Coker also expressed concerns about the consensus approval of Mr Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.

According to him, Mr Ofori-Atta committed several perjuries during his screening by the Committee, a situation he believed made him unfit to have been approved by the Committee.

He noted that almost every well-meaning person did not expect Mr Ofori-Atta to have been approved by a consensus.

Explaining the reasons why some members of the NDC are livid after the vetting exercise and the subsequent approval, he said “All the appointments of the current administration have been very controversial.

“It started with the first batch of ministers who were approved especially when some members of our party voted for some who had been rejected.

“This controversy has been raging on for a long time, the Council of Elders of the NDC stepped in and we thought things have normalized. Then comes the minister for finance. We all observed that during his vetting he committed so many perjuries and did a lot of mistakes.

“The whole world wasn’t looking forward for him to be confirmed. I am not a member of the appointments committee but well-meaning people believed that the Finance Minister should not have been passed but after the vetting the parliamentarians passed him ion consensus. So kit comes to reason that people will be wondering what is going on in this country.”

Others believe that Mr Ofori-Atta’s approval was to enable him solve the problems that may have arisen as a result of some decisions he took as Finance Minister during the first administration of President Akufo-Addo.

But Ade Coker told Dzifa that “that will be very suicidal. Are you telling me that consequently if a government comes in and messes about, it should be let to continue till thy kingdom come?

“…look at all the state capture that has gone on. So naturally people will not be happy. Otherwise we can say that any government which comes and messes around we should give it another chance to continue messing up the country. So I don’t buy in that school of thought.

“He has just gone to borrow addition 3billion so the debt stock is going up so he should continue borrowing till thy kingdom come.”