Pressure to find scandals against NPP made me quit ranking member role – Fifi Kwetey

NDC General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey says pressure from his own political camp to find scandals against the NPP at all costs helped drive him to quit his parliamentary ranking member role.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, he said he rejected expectations to manufacture wrongdoing or exaggerate concerns after the NDC lost power in 2016.

“One of the reasons why I quit the position as a ranking member was because I simply could not understand the expectation from my own corner that I must find scandal on NPP at all costs.”

Mr Kwetey, who identified his former portfolio as trade and industry, said scrutiny must be grounded in genuine wrongdoing.

“I'm not going to be fishing for scandal for the sake of it. I said no, I'm not doing it. That's me. If there's something genuinely wrong with NPP, I will speak.”

He said the pressure extended beyond finding fault to creating scandals where none existed.

“But in this situation, I must find scandal at all costs. If there is none, I must manufacture one.”

Mr Kwetey drew on that experience to criticise the NPP’s campaign against Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.

The NPP youth wing demonstrated in Accra on Tuesday, demanding accountability over an alleged GH¢16.4 million discrepancy in evacuation expenditure.

Protesters demanded their money back, along with flight invoices, beneficiary records, and an independent audit.

The dispute concerns spending on the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians. The Minority has questioned payment records and alleged that some beneficiaries received less than they were entitled to.

Mr Ablakwa has denied wrongdoing and invited an Auditor-General’s audit.

During the interview, the host challenged Mr Kwetey over concerns about signatures and duplicate entries in the ministry’s documents.

Mr Kwetey dismissed those issues as peripheral. He argued that Mr Ablakwa was being targeted because of his role in exposing alleged wrongdoing under the previous government.

He challenged the NPP to prove that the minister stole public funds.

“What have you been able to establish against the Foreign Minister that was stolen? What? How much money? You can't prove one.”