The Twin Deception: How Stephen Amoah And Mustapha Hamid Betrayed Ghanaians Through Tears, Propaganda & Corruption

The NPP is known as a political party widely associated with leaders whose politicians not only make grand promises they never intend to keep but also master the art of persuasive deception. Figures like Akufo‑Addo, Mustapha Hamid, Stephen Amoah, and Bawumia mastered the art of persuasive deception, delivering their messages so convincingly that it becomes difficult to recognize the lies in real time.

In November 2016, Mustapha Hamid, then spokesperson for opposition leader Nana Akufo‑Addo, nearly broke down in tears during a press conference. He accused President John Mahama and Ibrahim Mahama of attempting to bribe NPP Northern Regional Chairman Daniel Bugri Naabu with GH₵3.3 million, a V6 Mitsubishi, and a V8 Land Cruiser to resign from the NPP and brand Akufo‑Addo as anti‑northerner.

Hamid’s emotional performance was used to portray the NDC as corrupt and desperate. Years later, Hamid himself stands accused of orchestrating one of the biggest extortion and money‑laundering schemes in Ghana’s petroleum sector. According to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), senior officials of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) allegedly ran an extortion ring between 2022 and December 2024, unlawfully obtaining GH¢291,574,087.19 and US$332,407.47 from oil marketing companies and bulk transporters.

Prosecutors say the scheme was devised by former NPA Chief Executive Mustapha Abdul‑Hamid, who allegedly introduced the arrangement to Jacob Kwamina Amuah, then Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF). Investigators allege that portions of the funds were laundered through companies and used to acquire lands, houses, fuel stations, and tanker trucks.

The court‑confirmed list of Hamid’s properties is staggering: GH¢951,995.56 in cash; four fuel stations; multiple lands in Tamale, Haatso, Danyame, and Adenta; luxury residences in East Legon, Adjiringanor, and Agbogba; apartments across Airport Residential Area, Boundary Road, Roman Ridge, The Signature, The Lennox, The Bantree, and The Address; uncompleted complexes at Airport City and Roman Ridge; and 23 fuel tanker trucks.

The same man who once cried publicly about corruption now stands accused of masterminding one of the most elaborate state‑looting operations in Ghana’s history. It is unfortunate that in today’s Ghanaian political landscape, the NPP, despite the widespread corruption that collapsed infrastructure in the nation, is now demanding accountability from the very government working to repair the damage.

Stephen Amoah: Tears of Propaganda, Years of Contradiction

In 2016, Stephen Amoah, then a campaign figure for the NPP, famously wept during interviews, claiming Ghanaians were suffering under Mahama’s administration. He portrayed the NDC government as the source of national hardship and begged voters to “deliver” Ghana from mismanagement. Five years later, as NPP Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, Amoah contradicted his earlier claims.

He argued that the NPP left a “fundamentally correct” economy for Mahama in 2017 and blamed global factors, not NPP policy failures, for Ghana’s economic challenges. He also became one of the strongest defenders of the controversial E‑Levy, insisting that the tax would be passed “with or without the Minority,” dismissing concerns that the levy would worsen hardship for unemployed and low‑income Ghanaians.

Amoah claimed the NDC feared that Ghanaians would repose confidence in the NPP if the levy succeeded. His political contradictions became more glaring as Ghana’s economic situation worsened. Stephen Amoah, then CEO of MASLOC, was accused of stealing GH¢28.8 million. He denied the allegations, calling them propaganda. He also defended the sale of 15 Isuzu buses meant for GPRTU offices, claiming they were rejected and sold to prevent losses. Two buses were given to his office and the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS).

He further dismissed accusations of bypassing procurement procedures in hiring an audit firm. Despite the controversies, Amoah insisted that no amount of “smear campaign” would stop him or the NPP from delivering on their mandate. In February 2025, Amoah openly defended former Finance Minister Ken Ofori‑Atta after the OSP declared him a fugitive in corruption investigations involving the National Cathedral and ECG‑Beijing Jao contracts.

He insisted Ofori‑Atta had not absconded but was abroad for medical treatment, accusing the OSP of damaging Ghana’s international reputation. Even after ORAL and EOCO exposed widespread corruption, money laundering, and state looting involving top NPP officials, Amoah continued to defend the party’s integrity. He admitted, “I am not perfect, but I hate corruption,” while simultaneously shielding colleagues implicated in massive financial scandals.

Ghanaians must confront a painful truth: the very politicians who cried for sympathy, accused others of corruption, and claimed moral superiority have been implicated in some of the most damaging corruption scandals in Ghana’s history. Mustapha Hamid and Stephen Amoah symbolize a broader pattern within the NPP, one where emotional manipulation, propaganda, and public theatrics were used to gain power, only for that power to be abused through extortion, money laundering, and reckless state looting.

The consequences are severe: billions of Ghana cedis lost; national institutions weakened; public trust destroyed; youth unemployment worsened; development projects stalled; and Ghana’s international reputation damaged. Corruption is not just theft; it is the destruction of opportunity, the collapse of hope, and the betrayal of future generations.

Ghanaians must understand that leaders who enrich themselves at the expense of the nation cannot be trusted with the future. Therefore, they must avoid leaders who have proven, time and again, that they will sacrifice the nation’s future for personal gain. The time has come to demand accountability, reject political manipulation, and choose leaders who value integrity over propaganda. More importantly, the time to put these political criminals behind bars is long overdue.