The National Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, has dismissed the Majority’s defence of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over questions surrounding the accounting of GH¢16.4 million allegedly spent on evacuating Ghanaian citizens from South Africa.
Nana B has described the Majority’s explanation as an attempt to divert public attention from concerns raised by Asafo Adjei, insisting that the issues surrounding the evacuation expenditure require answers from the minister.
In a press statement dated October 13, 2026, Nana B rejected claims that Asafo Adjei’s criticism of Mr Ablakwa is motivated by a disagreement over the retention of his service passport.
He argued that the passport issue had been misrepresented and has no bearing on the questions raised about the evacuation expenditure.
According to Nana B, the attempt to link the allegations to the passport matter is intended to portray the concerns as a personal dispute rather than a matter of public accountability.
“The claim that Hon. Asafo Adjei is attacking Okudzeto Ablakwa because he refused to allow me to retain my service passport is weak, diversionary, unreasonable and a red herring to cover the corruption exposed by Hon. Asafo Adjei in his presentations,” he stated.
Providing his account of the passport controversy, Nana B said he had possessed only a service passport and had never held a diplomatic passport, contrary to claims he attributed to his critics.
He explained that he surrendered the service passport in compliance with a directive from President John Dramani Mahama, which was communicated through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nana B said his subsequent request to the Foreign Affairs Ministry was not for permission to retain the service passport but for an official letter to facilitate the transfer of existing visas to his ordinary passport.
He maintained that the request was consistent with what he described as established practice, under which the relevant embassies would be formally notified to enable the transfer of visas.
According to him, Mr Ablakwa personally asked him to contact Asafo Adjei to follow up on the letter.
Nana B said he complied with the request, but Asafo Adjei was informed during a visit to the ministry that the letter was not ready.
He added that he subsequently abandoned the process and applied for new visas.
“The majority’s claim is therefore ridiculous since Hon. Asafo-Adjei never asked for any favour and only followed up on the letter because Okudzeto Ablakwa personally requested he does so,” he said.
Nana B further insisted that he never sought to retain the service passport, arguing that such a request would have been unreasonable given his position as a national executive of the opposition NPP.
He also criticised the Majority for displaying the biographical information page of his service passport, which he said remained in the custody of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The NPP national vice chairman accused the Majority of using the passport controversy to deflect attention from the questions raised by Asafo Adjei about the evacuation expenditure.
He alleged that the Majority’s response is being advanced with the support of Mr Ablakwa and his associates to shield the minister from scrutiny.
Nana B argued that the allegations should be examined on their merits rather than dismissed as a personal vendetta against the Foreign Affairs Minister.
He pointed out that the concerns raised by Asafo Adjei were reportedly based on information and documents submitted by Mr Ablakwa himself.
According to Nana B, the alleged inconsistencies in the documentation surrounding the evacuation expenditure require clarification, particularly given the amount involved.
He maintained that the controversy should not be reduced to a disagreement between political figures when questions have been raised about the use of public funds.
Nana B also questioned the Majority’s response in light of President Mahama’s pledge to promote accountability in public office.
He argued that the governing side should be demanding explanations from the Foreign Affairs Minister instead of defending him against the allegations.
The NPP official said Mr Ablakwah had previously criticised government institutions while in opposition and should therefore be willing to subject his own stewardship of public resources to scrutiny.
“It is ironic that Okudzeto Ablakwa, who consistently attacked various government agencies while in opposition, is now using such an unreasonable excuse to evade accountability,” Nana B stated.
He urged the Majority to focus on the substantive questions raised about the evacuation expenditure and called on the minister to address what he described as inconsistencies in the documents submitted in connection with the operation.
“The majority should not take discerning Ghanaians for fools by suggesting that a member of Parliament’s exposition on possible corruption to the tune of GHS 16.4 million, based on data submitted by Okudzeto himself, is a personal vendetta,” he added.
Nana B maintained that political explanations would not resolve the concerns surrounding the expenditure and insisted that the minister must account for the funds.
The controversy centres on the GH¢16.4 million reportedly spent on evacuating Ghanaian citizens from South Africa and questions raised by Asafo Adjei regarding the supporting documentation and accounting for the expenditure.
Nana B’s latest statement shifts attention to the need for the Foreign Affairs Ministry to clarify the figures and explain the expenditure, while rejecting the suggestion that the allegations stem from a personal disagreement over a passport.
He thus urged the Majority to ensure that Mr Ablakwa answers the questions raised about the evacuation operation.
“No amount of propaganda can erase the unaccounted monies spent by Okudzeto Ablakwa,” Nana B said.
By 1960news.com
