The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described the Akufo-Addo government’s fight against corruption as a failure.
According to the party, recent events including the resignation of the Special Prosecutor show the unwillingness of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to tackle corruption in the country head-on.
Addressing the media on Thursday, November 19, 2020, the National Communication Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi accused President Akufo-Addo of harbouring corruption rather than fighting it.
“We are saddened to observe, that under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, corruption has become such a monstrous force, devouring every force which dares to stand in its way. When we speak of corruption in Ghana today, we are talking about a canker supervised by the President himself, with the active participation of his family, friends, cronies and appointees, all of whom are scrambling and jostling for their share of the national booty,” he said.
Ghana’s first Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, recently resigned unexpectedly from office citing interference in his work by the President and some of his officials.
His resignation has sparked a major debate on the government’s anti-corruption efforts especially as the President and his NPP have emphasized several times and touted as achievement, the creation of the Office of the Special Prosecutor to deal with corruption, especially in the public service.
Many have said that the resignation of Martin Amidu is an indictment on the President and the government but others have said such assertions are false especially as the Presidency has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring the smooth running of the office.
Sammy Gyamfi said Martin Amidu’s resignation proves that the President’s “fight against corruption was a charade.”
“Unbeknownst to Mr. Martin Amidu, we have always known that President Akufo-Addo’s avowed fight against corruption was a charade. And if there was anyone out there who still believed or hoped that President Akufo-Addo sought to fight corruption by setting up the OSP, we are quite sure that person would have given up by now,” he indicated.
