Akufo-Addo not committed to anti-corruption fight - Kwakye Ofosu & A.B.A Fuseini insist

A former Deputy Minister of Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sagnarigu in the Northern Region, Alhaji A. B. A Fuseini, have both cast serious doubt about the ability of President Akufo-Addo, to fight corruption.

The two, insist the president, aside merely saying he would fight the menace, has shown no serious interest both in opposition and in government to indicate that, he can fight the canker.

The two former appointees of the Mahama-led administration, were reacting separately to President Akufo-Addo’s recent admonishing that, there was the need for Ghana to win the fight against corruption.

“The fight against corruption is about ourselves; it is not so big a theoretical thing in the air. They (corrupt officials) are degrading our capacity to control our own development.

To the extent that God gives me health and strength, I am going to do my best to make sure that the fight against corruption is won”, he said while addressing a section of the Ghanaian community in the United Kingdom (UK) at a public forum in London last week.

But commenting on the issue on TV3’s New Day programme on Monday, Mr. Ofosu Kwakye, said the president, has not demonstrated enough willingness and wherewithal to convince him that indeed, he can do what he was reported to have said.

“Right from his days as leader of the NPP to now, I have not seen enough from him to convince me that he will be able to win the fight against corruption or any other form of wrongdoing for that matter.

You see, let me paraphrase Bill Clinton for you in his 1996 inaugural address. The president must lead by the power of his example, not the example of his power”, he said.

According to him, all the government and for that matter the president, have sought to do is to lay their hope in a proposed Special Prosecutor, who is going to be appointed to eradicate all forms of corruption.

He said, there was nothing special that appointee is going to do aside taking alleged corrupt officials to court, which can be done by the Attorney General and Minister for Justice.

“Today, we are told that a special prosecutor is the Messiah to take us to the promise land of anti-corruption. So we should wait for a Special Prosecutor. The Special Prosecutor, is going to do nothing more than taking people to court to prosecute, if there is corruption. It is the function the Attorney General can perform, if there is the willingness.

He refuted the argument that the Special Prosecutor is going to be independent devoid of any political interference.

According to him, even though the said individual was yet to be named, he is sure the person whose name has been bundled about is not going to be independent, because he is neck deep in the NPP and a good friend of the president and secretly played a role in the NPP’s campaign in 2016.

“The reason why NPP proposed this is that they say the Attorney General is not independent. Who says that this president will not appoint someone from the NPP or a supporter of the NPP to the Special Prosecutor’s office?

Why, I know that no official pronouncement has been made on who will occupy that position, but I am sure that you are in the media you know you heard the individual who have been calved for that position even if it has not been confirmed, does that individual strike you as an independent person? Is he not a bosom friend of the president?

A supporter of the NPP, who has been involved in activities of the NPP, in the campaign, he played a role even if it was covert, so let nobody believe merely, because they call him Special Prosecutor or Independent Prosecutor or ascribes independence to him, he is independent.

It is easy to peddle allegations against political opponents, round them up and if you are not fortunate to have a court that is balanced, secure conviction against them on the basis trump up charges. The real fight against corruption is when the president is able to deal with corruption or wrongdoing by his own party members and members of his government”, he said.

Speaking on the same topic on GHone television on the same Monday, Alhaji Fuseini, said if the president was serious about corruption, he should have started with his party when several allegations of money thievery, were reported by party members in the media and to the police, but he played deaf to them.

He said, the then opposition leader, ensured the suspension of the party chairman, Paul Afoko, General Secretary, Kwabena Agyapong and second vice chairman, Sammy Crabbe, following their insistent to fight corruption among others in the party.

The former deputy Northern Regional Minister said, if the president was serious about his intention to fight corruption, he should start by prosecuting his own people as was done by ex-president John Mahama whom he is said was the first Ghanaian leader to have sacked his appointees on mere corruption allegation, and prosecuted some while still in power.

According to the former editor of the state-owned Daily Graphic, the corruption allegation by Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba against the party’s Northern Regional chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu and the recent allegation by members of the party in the Savelugu Constituency against their Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Hajia Ayishetu Seidu were cases which could have served as a test case for the president.

But Alhaji Fuseini said, the president missed the opportunity when the party only called for National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting which included the president and asked that the offending party and government appointees apologized.