Don't mar your presidential ambition with ORAL - Former minister to Ablakwa

Former Deputy Minister for Fisheries, Francis Kingsley Ato Cudjoe, has advised the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who chairs the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) Committee, to opt out of the team.

According to Cudjoe, who is also a former Member of Parliament for Ekumfi, Ablakwa's association with ORAL and in discharging its duties could damage his political ambitions, as ORAL lacks legal backing.

His comments come after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus in Parliament urged all individuals invited by the ORAL Committee to assist in investigations into alleged corrupt activities to boycott the invitation. According to the Minority, the committee does not have the legal mandate to investigate corruption-related offenses, as there are legally mandated institutions to handle such matters.

Speaking at a press briefing in Parliament on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, the Member of Parliament for Suame, John Darko, declared that the NPP MPs would not honor any invitation from the ORAL committee.

“Our advice to you from the Minority is to boycott any invitation from the ORAL team. We are not going to be part of it because we believe that there are constitutionally established bodies that investigate any so-called misdeeds for the government.

“What they (ORAL) are doing is going about disturbing people, entering homes, seizing vehicles, and more or less taking over lands from people who have genuinely purchased them,” he stated.

In an interview on Joy Prime, monitored by GhanaWeb, Francis Kingsley Ato Cudjoe urged Ablakwa to heed his advice and resign from the committee, adding that if he did so, it would benefit his political ambitions.

"I just want to advise my friend Okudzeto; he's a nice guy, and all that. Personally, I like him. He knows I like him. I like his politics too, except sometimes when he goes overboard. My advice to the NDC and Okudzeto is that the election is over. You used ORAL to get the youth to come on board. But you, Okudzeto, are a politician. I will forgive Kpebu and other committee members, but you are a politician. You sit in Parliament, and you know that this thing (ORAL) has no legal leg.

"Don't get yourself involved so that later you mar your reputation. He has presidential ambitions. He should not mar himself with things that don't have legal backing and then decide to go along with it even after the election, knowing that it shouldn't be. They created it during the election to get votes. You've gotten the votes and won. Don't defend what is indefensible," Francis Kingsley Ato Cudjoe stated.

Mahama used ORAL to secure the votes of the youth, and now that he's won, there's no need for it - Francis Kingsley Ato Cudjoe, Former MP, Ekumfi & Deputy Minister for Fisheries (NPP) pic.twitter.com/BvESucRIp2

— Joy Prime (@JoyPrimeTV) January 16, 2025

KA

Meanwhile, watch as John Mahama assures Ghanaians to be decisive and swift in his actions