NDC must accept the same scrutiny demanded under Akufo-Addo — Afenyo-Markin

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has challenged the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to uphold the accountability standards it championed during its eight years in opposition, insisting that a change of government must not shield public officials from scrutiny. He says the opposition will continue to question government expenditure, contracts and policy commitments, arguing that such oversight is a democratic responsibility rather than an attempt to undermine the administration.

The Effutu MP’s remarks come amid growing controversy over the reported GH¢49.72 million expenditure on the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa. The Minority has raised concerns about alleged discrepancies in payment registers, duplicate entries and gaps in supporting documents relating to the exercise. It has called for an independent audit and demanded the resignation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

The opposition has also threatened to pursue a vote of censure against the minister if he remains in office. In a Facebook post on Friday, October 30, Mr Afenyo-Markin accused the NDC of adopting a different position on accountability since returning to power, saying the party should be prepared to face the same level of scrutiny it demanded of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

“The NDC spent eight years teaching Ghanaians that questioning government was patriotism. Today, the same people appear offended that Ghanaians have taken those lessons seriously,” he wrote. Accountability debate Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that the NDC had previously scrutinised government contracts, challenged appointments, questioned public spending and demanded answers on policy promises.

He said those actions were defended as necessary democratic oversight when the NPP was in office and should not now be dismissed as political persecution. “Apparently, accountability was a democratic virtue when the NPP was in power, but it has suddenly become political persecution now that the NDC occupies the seat of government,” he said. The Minority Leader maintained that the principles governing the use of public resources should remain unchanged, regardless of which political party controls the government.

He stressed that public office carried an obligation to account to citizens and did not place ministers and other public officials beyond criticism. “Public office is not a personal possession; it is a public trust. Holding office does not grant anyone immunity from criticism. Questioning a contract is not a personal attack on the person who approved it.

Demanding transparency is not an expression of hatred. Asking government to honour its promises is not an attempt to undermine it. It is simply democracy at work,” he said. Minority vows continued scrutiny Mr Afenyo-Markin said the Minority would not abandon its oversight responsibilities and would continue examining the government’s financial decisions and performance against its public commitments.

“The Mighty Minority will continue to read the documents, examine the contracts, question public expenditure, and measure government promises against actual performance,” he said. He insisted that the NDC should be judged by the same standards it applied to the NPP while in opposition, adding that the Minority would not back down from demanding answers on matters of public interest.

“The standard members of the NDC demanded when they were in opposition should be the same standard they must live by, and we, the Mighty Minority, will not renege,” he added. The dispute over the South Africa evacuation has intensified the political debate over public expenditure and the need for transparency in the management of state resources. The Minority’s concerns include the reported cost of the exercise and questions it says require independent examination of the supporting records.