The Minority on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has called on Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to resign immediately over concerns about expenditure on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.
The group has also urged President John Dramani Mahama to terminate Mr Ablakwa’s appointment if he fails to resign, arguing that his continued stay in office could undermine ongoing investigations.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Jinapor, said the gravity of the allegations required the minister to step aside to allow an impartial investigation.
“Given the gravity of these revelations and in order to ensure an impartial investigation into the matter, we call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to resign immediately,” he said.
The Minority added that the minister’s handling of the exercise had brought his office into disrepute.
The demand comes a day after a group of evacuees addressed the media to deny claims that they had been underpaid and to defend the government’s support for their return amid xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
However, Mr Jinapor said information available to the Minority pointed to serious financial irregularities in the management of funds for the exercise.
He cited media investigations that had reportedly uncovered cases of evacuees who did not receive their allowances, duplicate entries, payments recorded without signatures and expenditure lacking supporting receipts.
“…uncovered additional grave anomalies and disturbing contradictions that deepen our suspicions about the handling of these public funds. Independent media investigations have also uncovered damming and disturbing revelations of evacuees who reportedly did not receive the allowances, duplicate entries, payments recorded without signatures and expenditure for which supporting receipts were unavailable.
“The evidence before us reveals grave financial regularities compelling misapplications of public funds and possible fraud,” he stated.
The Minority reiterated their demand for an independent audit into the expenditure for the evacuation exercise.
“We reiterate our call for a comprehensive independent audit of the evacuation exercise to be undertaken by a reputable accounting firm with a proven track record and unquestionable credibility,” he added.
“If the Minister fails to resign, we call on the President to terminate his appointment in accordance with Article 81 (a) of our national constitution. The president must demonstrate that the standards he sets for his appointees have consequences,” Jinapor stressed.
