The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has vehemently opposed the decision by President John Dramani Mahama to use his brother’s jet for official travel.
He called on the President to halt the use of his brother’s jet, arguing that it amounts to running a family-and-friends government.
“Family government… In opposition, President Mahama and the NDC shouted ‘family and friends government.’
“Now you’re flying your brother’s jet. Ghana is not a family business,” he wrote on X.
Earlier, the Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, also criticised President Mahama for travelling on his brother’s jet, especially when the economic justification for using the aircraft has not been provided.
In Mr Cudjoe’s view, the President’s action breaches the code of conduct he set for all his appointees.
President John Dramani Mahama is currently in Korea to hold bilateral talks with President Lee Jae Myung.
Mr Mahama travelled on a jet acquired by his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, raising concerns on social media about the financial or economic implications for taxpayers.
Commenting in a statement posted on his Facebook page, Franklin Cudjoe said:
“Mr President, with due respect, you cannot be asking your appointees not to travel without providing economic justification, and then you jump on your brother’s plane without providing us reasons why you think it is the only safe, available and cheaper airline.
“You recently flew commercial, and your communications team happily shared videos. We all applauded.
“Seriously, this sends conflicting signals about your own fidelity to the public code of conduct for public office. This is the second time I have heard about you using Mr Ibrahim Mahama’s plane, and you may be earning back your own ‘dead goat’ syndrome, which was last rejected by many. Please stop,” Franklin Cudjoe wrote in the statement.
Similarly, investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni wrote:
“If Gabby Otchere-Darko were a private businessman, owned a private jet, and President Akufo-Addo used it for official trips.”
