Use of NIB for NPP running mate survey is abuse of office — Okudzeto Ablakwa

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, has stated that the government's use of the National Investigation Bureau (NIB) to conduct a survey on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) running mate 'race' constitutes an abuse of office.

"This is an organization run with our taxes, by all Ghanaians, not only NPP members. If they want to conduct a poll on who best should be the running mate for an NPP candidate, there are many organizations in this country, including academics in the universities.

"Go and engage them with your party money, dues from your members. Don't use our organization, a state organization run with our taxes. This is abuse of office," he said.

Ablakwa expressed his displeasure on Saturday, June 22, 2024, during a discussion on an Accra-based television program. He questioned why the survey was conducted only for the NPP and not also for the National Democratic Congress Presidential Candidate and other parties.

"In this case, where is the poll that they did to support the NDC Presidential Candidate, the CPP Presidential Candidate, the aspiring PNC Presidential Candidate? Let's stop this abuse of office.

"Serious money is given to this body, and you go about conducting NPP polls with my taxpayer's money? How do they expect NDC members to feel? Neutrals to feel? With our taxes. That's what they are doing with our taxes."

The NIB survey indicated that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Energy Minister, is widely preferred among party members to be the Running Mate to Dr. Bawumia. Dr. Bawumia has yet to announce his Running Mate for the 2024 General Election scheduled for December 7, 2024.

The NIB report, which sampled the views of 5,116 NPP delegates nationwide, including national, regional, constituency, and polling station executives, revealed that 76.2 percent of respondents preferred Dr. Prempeh as Dr. Bawumia's Running Mate.

Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, garnered 10.16 percent of the responses.

Other candidates on the list included Apostle Opoku Onyinah, former Chairman of the Pentecost Church-Ghana, and Bryan Acheampong, the Minister of Agriculture and MP for Abetifi Constituency.

The MP stated that in the coming days, he would invite the National Security Minister to Parliament to explain the issue and discuss how he was safeguarding Ghana's security.

"Look, all the reports I have seen as a Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, we ought to be worried.

"What is happening along the borders? Are you aware that all our neighbors have been hit with terrorism? All of them, not one.

"Togo was with us in the exclusive minority group of countries that have not been hit. They have been hit recently.

"We have been asked to provide more resources to the security agencies. And this is what they are doing with the resources that we are providing for them."

Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, Member of Parliament for Sekondi Constituency, said the survey was unwarranted because it created an impression that Dr. Bawumia was being pressured to make a decision.

"I think we should leave him. He's been in the role for eight years.

"He's been in politics actively for 16 years. He knows what he wants. And so, to make it look as if he's being pressured, or that what the party grassroots necessarily is saying is what he has to go with, I don't think it's fair."

Mercer, also the Minister of Tourism, said choosing a running mate required a lot of consultations before finally putting out a name, hence the delay from Dr. Bawumia.

"Yes, you have the prerogative to choose. But you operate within a system. And so, it is important that you bring everybody along. And so, bringing everybody along would require some consultations. I'm sure that that's exactly what the Vice President is going to do now."

Meanwhile, Palgrave Boakye Danquah, Government's Spokesperson on Security and Governance, reportedly said the NIB Survey was not authorized by the Government.