NDC Deputy General Secretary, Mustapha Gbande has rejected calls by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Parliament to establish an inquiry into recent cocaine-related cases.
Speaking on TV3’s Daily Brief, Tuesday, September 22, he described the opposition party’s call as “needless”, arguing that existing investigations should be allowed to proceed.
He said the establishment of the joint task force and the ongoing investigations demonstrate that the government is already taking the matter seriously.
“The NPP would have realised by now that they have overshot the bullet because it is needless,” he said.
According to him, institutions responsible for managing Ghana’s ports have different mandates from those tasked with investigating criminal activities.
“The institutions that are in charge of port management are not the same institutions that investigate crimes,” he said.
Gbande also questioned the basis for claims by NPP communications team member, Dennis Miracles Aboagye that failures by devices operated by the Ghana Maritime Authority contributed to the movement of narcotics through the ports.
“How did Miracles Aboagye know that these things happen only because Maritime Authority devices are not functioning? Does he have some information that I don’t have?” he asked.
Gbande said he was encouraged by the public concern over the issue and welcomed President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to establish a joint task force to investigate the cases.
“I am very happy about the concern and the interest that is showing so far. I am also happy that the President has not become a clearing agent on this but he is demonstrating readiness and commitment to ensure that these acts, which are a national embarrassment, do not become only one of those usual conversations that we accuse each other and do nothing about it,” he said.
He maintained that the ongoing investigations should be allowed to establish the facts surrounding the cocaine cases rather than turning the matter into a partisan political dispute.
