Don’t use presidential staffers to divert attention from double salary saga - NPP executive

The 2nd Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Suame Constituency of New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Asante has observed that members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have capitalized on the debate about the 998 presidential staffers to divert attention from the double salary saga.

Some former appointees are being investigated by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service over the receipt of double salary.

MPs include Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, Second Deputy Speaker Alban Bagbin, who nurses a presidential ambition, as well as Wa Central MP and ex-minister of Public-Private Partnerships, Dr Rashid Pelpuo; Inusah Fuseini, former Lands and Natural Resources Minister; Comfort Doyoe Ghansah, former Minister of State in charge of Social and Allied Institutions; Mr Eric Opoku, former Brong Ahafo Regional Minister and Fifi Kwetey, former Deputy Minister of Finance among many more.

They have been interrogated by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service and cautioned for stealing.

But since the emergence of the presidential staffers’ list, discussions on the issue appeared to have died down but he described the debate on the presidential staffers as a diversionary tactic by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The opposition party he said, had taken a decisive stance to hammer on the presidential staffers’ issue in order to divert the attention from the alleged double salary saga involving some of its Members of Parliament, adding such suspects will be prosecuted by hook or crook.

Speaking to Kwame Tanko (TK) the host of Angel morning show today, Mr Asante, disclosed as false the speculations that Nana Addo administration has appointed 998 staffers at the Jubilee house.

According to him, the NPP administration only appointed 292 staffers to the 706 staffers bequeathed the current administration by the Mahama government.

He described the NDC as hypocrites for criticising NPP for adding up the 292 to the 706 they left before leaving office.

“With the 706 staffers in 2016, NDC spent over GH¢3 billion on them while NPP with a total number of 998 including that of the NDC’s staffers spent GH¢1.5 billion.

According to him, NDC needs to appreciate the effective systems put in place by the NPP government to improve the economy.

Mr Asante, therefore, called on Ghanaians to turn deaf ears to the NDC’s propaganda and focus on the policies initiated by Akufo-Addo administration.