President Mahama Committed No Crime by Flying in His Brother’s Private Jet

The loud political noise surrounding President John Dramani Mahama’s use of his brother’s private jet is nothing more than calculated hypocrisy and political mischief.

The President committed no crime by flying in an aircraft owned by his brother, Mr Ibrahim Mahama. Unless anyone can point to a specific law that has been breached.

The matter should not be deliberately distorted into a national scandal. Criticism in a democracy must be anchored in facts, not propaganda. It is therefore astonishing that members and sympathizers of the New Patriotic Party are leading this charge. These are the very same people who kept silent or vigorously defended when former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo repeatedly chartered luxurious private jets at enormous cost to the Ghanaian taxpayer.

At the time, questions about the cost of those extravagant trips were met with arrogance, evasion, and justification.

Ghanaians still remember reports of aircraft fitted with luxury facilities being used while the nation struggled with economic hardship.

Yet those who defended such profligacy now pretend to be guardians of accountability simply because President Mahama occasionally travels in his brother’s aircraft. That is not principled oversight; it is political opportunism.

Let us be honest: this controversy is not about ethics or legality. It is about the desperate attempt by the NPP to remain politically relevant after their humiliating defeat in the 2024, general election. Having lost the confidence of the Ghanaian electorate, some elements within the party appear determined to manufacture controversies in the hope of damaging the credibility of the current administration.

The attacks on Mr. Ibrahim Mahama are also not new. For years, he has been the target of relentless political attacks simply because of his relationship with the President. Yet Ghanaians remember that his company stepped forward to dredge the Odaw River and assist with flood control in Accra an effort that benefited the nation.

Ironically, when the NPP later assumed power, millions of dollars were spent on similar dredging projects.

Most members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are being remarkably dishonest and ungrateful in their criticism of the President’s use of his brother’s private aircraft.

Instead of commending Mr Ibrahim Mahama for making his aircraft available during emergencies and for assisting people who urgently require transportation. Acts of generosity and national support should be acknowledged, not twisted into political controversy.

This pattern exposes the selective outrage that has become characteristic of our politics. Individuals are demonized when they are perceived as political opponents, yet the same critics suddenly discover their virtues only after they are gone. We saw this with the late President John Evans Atta Mills, former President Jerry John Rawlings, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, Captain Kojo Tsikata. and others.

Ghanaians are no longer fooled by this predictable cycle of political hypocrisy. The electorate has become far more sophisticated and discerning. The verdict delivered in the 2024 elections was a clear message that arrogance, dishonesty, and double standards have consequences.

Ghana faces far more serious challenges than the aircraft a President uses for travel. The country deserves mature political debate focused on governance, economic progress, and national development not manufactured scandals designed to distract the public.

Until the NPP accepts the lessons of its electoral defeat and abandons this politics of hypocrisy, it risks further exposing itself further public ridicule.

Mike kalley
Sociopolitical Analyst.