Will Ablakwa be a man of his words and resign over Veep’s private jet travel? — Akufo-Addo’s lawyer

Lawyer Kow Essuman, former legal counsel to ex-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is questioning whether Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, will resign over the use of a private jet by Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.

While in opposition, the North Tongu MP was vocal about what he described as extravagant spending by President Akufo-Addo on private jets at a time Ghanaians were struggling.

In one of his campaigns against the former President’s private jet travels, Ablakwa, speaking on Accra-based Adom FM’s Burning Issues in July 2022, vowed to resign should the National Democratic Congress (NDC) come into power and either the President or Vice President used a private jet.

“I don’t have anything against the president, but it’s about protecting the public purse, and I don’t expect a future NDC president to hire jets at such high cost. Some of us would resign; I wouldn’t want to be part of such a government,” he stated.

The Vice President returned to Ghana on Thursday, May 22, after a two-month medical trip to the United Kingdom onboard a Vistajet chartered flight, which the New Patriotic Party (NPP) claims cost the state over $170,000.

Reacting to the development in a social media post on Saturday, May 24, Lawyer Essuman posed a direct question to the minister.

“My good friend Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa finds himself in a fix. His own words are being put to him. Will he be a man of his own words and resign from office as Foreign Minister?” he asked on X (formerly Twitter).

This comes after a similar call by MP for Assin South, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, calling on his colleague to be a man of principle as he claims and resign.