‘Let’s fast and pray for this sorry republic’ – Ablakwa reacts to Ofori-Atta’s reappointment

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is urging Ghanaians to undertake fervent fasting and prayer for the country in response to the reappointment of the former Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The MP, in a post shared on X on Saturday, February 24, 2024, pointed out that Ofori-Atta would now have a free hand to do whatever he pleases because the Parliament of Ghana has no oversight responsibility over his new role as a presidential advisor and special envoy.

He added that even when Ofori-Atta was finance minister and was accountable to parliament, the government appointee on several occasions used taxpayers' money without parliamentary approval.

“Take note that Presidential Advisors and Special Envoys are not accountable to Parliament and cannot be summoned to answer parliamentary questions for their actions.

“Even when Ken Ofori-Atta was Finance Minister and was directly accountable to Parliament, that did not deter him from his illegal US$58million withdrawal for President Akufo-Addo’s scandalous cathedral pit, squandering US$12million on failed Agyapa, signing a dubious US$100million SML deal, collapsing the constitutional Contingency Fund and creating his own Contingency Vote and his infamous 2022 budgetary allocation of a whopping GHS241.9million for so-called e-Transaction Levy Services which I successfully scuttled,” Ablakwa wrote.

The MP also slammed President Akufo-Addo and accused him of being insensitive to the plight of Ghanaians.

He highlighted that despite the worsening state of Ghana’s economy, the president has resisted cutting down government expenditure. According to him, instead of Akufo-Addo to reduce the size of his administration, he is rather appointing more individuals.

“It is also very troubling and most insensitive on the part of President Akufo-Addo that in this time of economic crisis and excruciating hardships when many Ghanaians expected him to take advantage of his belated reshuffle to reduce the size of his bloated government, the numbers are rather going up with many sacked ministers returning either as presidential advisors, ministers of state at the presidency or advisors to ministers.”

A letter from the Office of the President issued just a day after Akufo-Addo sacked Ofori-Atta has confirmed reports that the former finance minister has indeed been reappointed into the government.

The letter which was signed by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, revealed that Ofori-Atta has been appointed as senior advisor and envoy on capital markets.

“I am pleased to inform you that the President of the Republic has appointed you as the Senior Presidential Advisor and Special Envoy for International Finance and Private Sector Investments.

“I take this opportunity to congratulate you formally on your reassignment and wish you the very best in this new office. Please accept the President's best wishes,” part of the letter reads.

Read the MP’s full post below:

Ken Ofori-Atta’s top appointment — Let’s fast and pray for this sorry Republic.

Take note that Presidential Advisors and Special Envoys are not accountable to Parliament and cannot be summoned to answer parliamentary questions for their actions.

Even when Ken Ofori-Atta was… pic.twitter.com/NCCi8O6swJ

— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) February 24, 2024

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