By Akyeampong Duodu
The John Dramani Mahama-led government appears to be making a mockery of itself over the recent allegations of drug peddling and money laundering made by Hon. John Ntim Fordjour, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee.
Addressing a press conference on April 2, 2025, the Assin South Member of Parliament claimed that the Minority suspected two aircraft that arrived in the country in March were involved in cocaine trafficking and money laundering.
This allegation drew a swift response from President John Dramani Mahama, who released a statement on his Facebook page stating that his government had taken the claims seriously. According to the post, he had directed all state investigative agencies “to immediately and fully collaborate with the Honourable Member of Parliament so he provides all necessary information to investigate the allegations and take all action necessary to expose any drug dealing.”
However, before these immediate and full-scale investigations could begin, Hon. Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Minister in charge of Government Communications and spokesperson for the President, published a broadcast video on his social media pages dismissing Rev. Ntim Fordjour’s claims.
The chief spokesperson for the Mahama-led government gave detailed information about the two planes in question and labeled the MP’s claims as complete falsehoods and lies. As if that wasn’t damaging enough, he went on to suggest that President Mahama did not actually mean it when he assured Ghanaians he had directed state investigative agencies to launch an immediate and thorough investigation. Seriously, what kind of Commander-in-Chief is President Mahama then? Should the public take him seriously the next time he speaks on critical national matters?
“The President just wanted to make an example of him (referring to Ntim Fordjour),” Hon. Kwakye Ofosu disclosed in an interview with Mr. Philip Osei Bonsu of Asempa FM. Isn’t it alarming that the President’s primary interest in such a serious allegation is to embarrass someone, rather than to seek the truth in a transparent manner?
What is even more worrying is that the government—through both President Mahama and Hon. Kwakye Ofosu—has sent a coded message to state investigative agents, subtly indicating how the investigation should end. They are aware that Hon. Ntim Fordjour is not privy to the exact contents of the aircraft, yet they want security agencies to rely solely on him to substantiate his claims. Yes, the government’s spokesperson has made remarks suggesting they know the Honourable MP lacks evidence contrary to the information in the official reports.
It seems the security agencies have picked up on this cue. Reports indicate that the Deputy Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Alexander Twum Barimah, has issued a stern warning about arresting the Assin South MP.
The response from President Mahama and his spokesperson suggests that regardless of whether Hon. Ntim Fordjour appears before the investigative agencies, the outcome is predetermined—the aircraft were not used for drug trafficking or money laundering.
What concerns many well-meaning Ghanaians now is the consequence of the intimidation Hon. Ntim Fordjour is allegedly facing from state security agencies. Subjecting a Ranking Member of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament to threats of arrest for alerting security officials to a suspicious crime of such magnitude could discourage ordinary citizens from reporting criminal activities. To prevent this, it would be advisable for state investigative agencies to cease threatening the Honourable MP and instead adopt a more cooperative approach to the matter.
Hon. Kwakye Ofosu should also exercise restraint when commenting on similar issues. President John Mahama is a symbolic figure of national unity, so any insult to his intelligence is, by extension, an insult to all Ghanaians. Citizens should not be pleased with Hon. Kwakye Ofosu for insinuating in one of his interviews that a whole Head of State had wasted his attention on an irrelevant matter—something he himself claimed he would not have done.
The President must also bear in mind that Ghanaians take his words seriously. He should therefore refrain from endorsing the public dissemination of issues he later considers trivial, as claimed by his spokesperson.
The author is a staunch member of the New Patriotic Party in the Awutu Senya West Constituency.
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