The Office of Kpikpi for President joins calls for Ablakwa’s resignation over GH¢49.7m evacuation expenditure
The Office of Kpikpi for President has joined the Minority in Parliament in demanding the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over alleged discrepancies in the GH¢49.72 million expenditure on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.
The Office of Kpikpi for President says the Minister must take responsibility for the financial oversight of his ministry and step aside to allow an independent investigation into the expenditure, insisting that public confidence in the government’s handling of the operation must be protected.
Speaking in an interview with Bullet TV, National communications director Donald Brown Dzamashie, a former parliamentary candidate for Akatsi South in the 2024 general election, said the party supported calls for the Minister to resign while the allegations were investigated.
He argued that the controversy required a transparent process to establish whether the expenditure records presented by the Ministry adequately accounted for the money spent on bringing Ghanaians home.
Dzamashie said an independent audit would help establish the facts and ensure that any official found culpable was held accountable under the law.
“If these allegations are true, the Minister responsible should be prosecuted. In a serious country, when allegations of this nature emerge, the person in charge should step aside to allow further investigations,” he said.
The representative also called for an independent examination of the expenditure records, arguing that the public deserved a clear explanation of the figures and supporting documents provided by the Ministry.
His comments follow concerns raised by the Minority Caucus on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, which has demanded an independent audit of the evacuation exercise and called for Mr Ablakwa’s resignation.
The government evacuated 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa between May 27 and September 4, 2026, following renewed xenophobic attacks and intimidation against foreign nationals.
On September 7, Mr Ablakwa announced that the exercise cost GH¢49,721,786. The amount comprised GH¢33,721,786 in direct government funding and GH¢16 million contributed by Engineers and Planners, a company owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama.
The expenditure reportedly covered chartered flights, commercial airline tickets, ground transportation, feeding, accommodation, medical care and allowances for returnees.
However, the Minority says its review of documents provided by the Ministry in response to a Right to Information request revealed alleged gaps in payment registers, discrepancies in flight records, duplicate entries and insufficient supporting documentation.
It has estimated that GH¢16.42 million requires further reconciliation, although the allegations have not established that the money was stolen or misappropriated.
The Minister has rejected claims that funds are missing, insisting that not a cedi or pesewa is unaccounted for. He has also said he invited the Auditor-General to conduct a comprehensive audit of evacuation exercises undertaken since 2017.
Dzamashie maintained that, John E. Kpikpi administration under the Progressive Alliance for Ghana (PAG) would not tolerate corruption and called for anyone found culpable to face the law, stressing that public officeholders must be held to the same standards of accountability as ordinary citizens.
He said an independent investigation would provide an opportunity to establish the facts, determine whether any wrongdoing occurred and restore public confidence in the use of public funds.
By Bawa Musah
