Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, has made a strong case for former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to be given another opportunity to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) into the 2028 general election.

According to the NPP lawmaker, President John Dramani Mahama himself returned to the presidency after losing an election, demonstrating that political careers should not necessarily end after one defeat.

He believes the same principle should apply to Dr Bawumia, who lost the 2024 presidential election to Mahama.

‘Mahama got a second chance’

Kennedy Osei Nyarko argued that Mahama’s political comeback provides an important precedent for the NPP as it considers its future presidential candidate.

Mahama first served as President between 2012 and 2017 before losing the 2016 presidential election to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

After that defeat, Mahama returned to contest the 2020 election but lost again. He subsequently made another comeback in 2024 and defeated the NPP candidate, Dr Bawumia, to return to the presidency.

For Kennedy Osei Nyarko, that political journey demonstrates that an electoral defeat does not necessarily mean the end of a presidential ambition.

Bawumia’s 2024 defeat

Dr Bawumia led the NPP into the 2024 presidential election but suffered a decisive defeat against Mahama.

The outcome triggered intense debate within the NPP over the party’s direction and the suitability of its 2024 candidate.

As the party prepares for its next presidential contest, several figures have expressed interest in leading the NPP into the 2028 election.

The debate has consequently shifted from simply assessing the 2024 defeat to determining who can rebuild the party and successfully challenge the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

‘Give him another opportunity’

Kennedy Osei Nyarko’s argument is essentially that Bawumia should not be written off because of his 2024 defeat.

He believes the former Vice President has gained valuable political experience from the previous election and should be allowed another opportunity to prove himself.

The argument also feeds into the broader discussion within the NPP about continuity, renewal and whether the party should maintain its previous direction or completely change course ahead of 2028.

NPP faces crucial decision

The NPP is expected to face a major political test as it reorganises following its 2024 defeat.

The party will have to determine whether it wants to build around familiar faces or introduce a completely new political strategy and presidential candidate.

Kennedy Osei Nyarko’s comments are therefore likely to add fresh fuel to the conversation, particularly as the party weighs the records and political prospects of potential contenders.

His comparison with Mahama also raises a fundamental question for the NPP: should one electoral defeat be enough to end a presidential ambition?

For the Akim Swedru MP, the answer appears to be no.

His message is clear — if Mahama could return to the presidency after electoral setbacks, then Dr Bawumia, having experienced defeat in 2024, should also be given another chance to make his case to Ghanaians.

Majority Chief Whip and South Dayi Member of Parliament, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has launched a strong attack on the International Monetary Fund (IMF), accusing the global financial institution of crossing the line into Ghana’s domestic political affairs.

According to the lawmaker, the IMF’s recent comments on political influence in appointments to the boards and executive positions of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) go beyond the organisation’s mandate.

Dafeamekpor insists that the Fund must be called to order and respect Ghana’s constitutional and legal framework governing public appointments.

His comments come after an IMF Technical Assistance Report published in July 2026 raised concerns about political considerations in the selection of board members and executives of major SOEs.

‘They are completely out of order’

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, September 11, Dafeamekpor accused the IMF of showing what he described as an anti-NDC posture.

“The IMF has been out against the NDC for some time and I think that it is time we call them to order. They are completely out of order,” he said.

He argued that Ghana has its own constitutional and institutional processes for appointing individuals to public boards and that the IMF should not dictate who is qualified to serve based solely on political affiliation.

Political affiliation does not mean incompetence

Dafeamekpor defended the government’s appointments, stressing that belonging to a political party does not automatically disqualify an individual from serving on a public board.

For him, the critical considerations should be qualifications, competence, experience and the ability of an appointee to deliver on the responsibilities of the position.

He cited the leadership of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) as an example, arguing that individuals with political backgrounds can still effectively manage public institutions when they possess the necessary expertise.

‘They are beginning to meddle in our internal politics’

The Majority Chief Whip went further to question the IMF’s involvement in Ghana’s governance arrangements.

He accused the organisation of beginning to “meddle” in Ghana’s internal politics and suggested that the IMF Country Director’s conduct had contributed to a loss of trust.

“They are beginning to meddle in our internal politics, and I don’t think that, as the supranational organisation, that is what they’ve been brought here to do,” he stated.

Dafeamekpor also alleged that the IMF Country Director has been holding meetings with members of the opposition and suggested that the development raises questions about the Fund’s neutrality.

IMF’s role in Ghana

The IMF remains deeply involved in Ghana’s economic policy discussions. In May 2026, an IMF staff team completed the sixth and final review under Ghana’s Extended Credit Facility arrangement and reached a staff-level agreement with the country on a new 36-month Policy Coordination Instrument.

The Fund has also continued to provide technical assistance on areas including state-owned enterprise fiscal risks, financial oversight, governance and investment implementation.

However, Dafeamekpor believes such economic and technical engagement should not extend into what he considers Ghana’s internal political affairs.

A fresh clash over SOE appointments

The controversy highlights a growing debate over how Ghana should balance political appointments with competence and institutional independence.

While critics of the government’s appointments have raised concerns about political influence within SOEs, Dafeamekpor maintains that political affiliation alone should not be used as a measure of an individual’s suitability for public office.

His latest comments are therefore likely to fuel further debate over the role of international financial institutions in Ghana’s governance and the extent to which their assessments should influence domestic political decisions.

For Dafeamekpor, however, the message is clear: the IMF should focus on its economic mandate and leave Ghana’s political affairs to Ghanaians and the country’s constitutional institutions.

Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has raised serious concerns over what he describes as the lack of high-profile arrests and prosecutions following major international drug seizures linked to Ghana.

According to the Assin South MP, Ghana’s security agencies have recorded several significant interceptions, but the alleged masterminds behind the large-scale trafficking operations have largely remained out of the public spotlight.

His comments come days after French authorities seized nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine, valued at about US$261 million, from a shipment of plastic waste that arrived at the northern French port of Dunkirk from Ghana.

‘Where are the high-profile prosecutions?’

Speaking on the Channel One Newsroom, Rev. Ntim Fordjour questioned why major international seizures have not resulted in the arrest and prosecution of the alleged financiers and organisers behind the shipments.

He argued that the focus should not only be on smaller quantities of drugs intercepted locally, but also on the large consignments allegedly passing through Ghana into international markets.

“The serious concern that every Ghanaian must be concerned about is that when you have the one kilo, three kilo tracks that are busted… that’s the least of our worries. Our worries really lie in the high-profile bust,” he said.

$500m cocaine seizures under scrutiny

The MP cited previous cases involving cocaine seizures worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

He referred to separate operations in Takoradi and around the Cape Coast-Accra Highway, which he said involved approximately US$500 million worth of cocaine.

Ntim Fordjour questioned why those cases had not, in his view, produced prosecutions of the alleged masterminds.

He also pointed to an April 2025 seizure in Australia involving approximately US$208 million worth of methamphetamine, which Australian authorities reportedly traced to a container originating from Ghana.

‘Our image is sinking’

Beyond the criminal justice implications, the MP warned that the repeated international seizures could seriously damage Ghana’s reputation.

He said the country was increasingly being perceived internationally as a territory that tolerates or facilitates drug trafficking.

“Our image in the international community is fast sinking. We are fast being perceived as a cocaine coast,” he warned.

He argued that Ghana cannot afford to allow its international reputation to deteriorate while large consignments of narcotics allegedly linked to the country continue to be intercepted abroad.

Latest Dunkirk seizure raises fresh questions

The latest French seizure has added urgency to the debate.

Nearly four tonnes of cocaine were reportedly concealed in a container carrying plastic waste from Ghana. French authorities have launched an investigation into the criminal network behind the shipment, with part of the consignment reportedly destined for Antwerp, Belgium.

The seizure has raised fresh questions about how such a massive quantity of narcotics could be concealed in commercial cargo and moved across international borders.

However, the origin of a shipment does not by itself establish wrongdoing by Ghanaian authorities, businesses or citizens. The ongoing investigations will have to determine who organised and financed the shipment and who was intended to receive the drugs.

Fordjour demands answers

Ntim Fordjour said the responsibility for tackling transnational drug trafficking cannot rest with one institution alone.

He identified agencies including the Narcotics Control Commission, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and other security agencies as key parts of the country’s border-security architecture.

According to him, the repeated international seizures point to the need for a broader examination of Ghana’s systems for detecting and disrupting organised drug trafficking.

Focus on the masterminds

For the MP, the real test of Ghana’s anti-narcotics campaign is not simply how much cocaine or methamphetamine authorities seize.

It is whether investigators can identify the people financing, organising and facilitating the shipments and bring them before the courts.

He has therefore called for greater accountability and intensified investigations into the networks behind the major international drug seizures.

As Ghana faces growing scrutiny following the latest multimillion-dollar cocaine interception in France, Ntim Fordjour’s warning has put the spotlight firmly on a question that authorities will now have to answer:

Where are the high-profile prosecutions?

Weija/Gbawe MP and Second Minority Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has urged the government to urgently heed warnings from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over Ghana’s gold trading operations to prevent further financial losses.

Mr Shaib says the findings of the two international financial institutions should trigger immediate action to strengthen monitoring, transparency and accountability under the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme (DGPP).

‘Over $1.7bn loss in one year’

The MP cited an August 2026 IMF report which, according to him, found that the gold programme recorded losses of more than $1.7 billion in 2025, equivalent to about 1.5 per cent of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He warned that such losses could have serious consequences for the country’s finances if the underlying problems are not addressed.

According to Mr Shaib, the losses contributed to the Bank of Ghana being pushed into what he described as deep negative equity.

Shaib questions government’s handling of GoldBod

The Weija/Gbawe MP also pointed to a World Bank assessment which he said described GoldBod-related operations as a “significant and insufficiently monitored risk” to Ghana’s economy.

He argued that the warnings demonstrate the need for much tighter supervision of the country’s gold trading arrangements.

Mr Shaib further accused the government of failing to properly manage what he considers a potentially beneficial policy, describing the situation as incompetence or negligence at the highest level.

‘This is not about Bawumia’s original vision’

The MP stressed that his criticism was not directed at the original concept of using gold to strengthen Ghana’s reserves.

Rather, he said the concern was about how the programme had subsequently been managed.

“A sound idea, poorly supervised, is how you lose over a billion dollars in one year and still have no answers for Ghanaians,” he said.

Calls for full parliamentary probe

Mr Shaib welcomed the Speaker of Parliament’s decision to admit a motion on the matter, saying a parliamentary inquiry would help uncover the truth behind the reported losses.

He is demanding full disclosure from GoldBod on the operations of the programme, including the discounts applied to Ghana’s gold, the officials who approved them, fees charged and the entities that ultimately bore the losses.

He also wants Parliament to have the power to summon officials and demand documents relating to the transactions.

Minority demands transparency

Mr Shaib further called for disclosure of the identities of gold off-takers, discounts granted and fees charged, as well as clarification on whether GoldBod or the Bank of Ghana ultimately absorbed specific losses.

He also wants all contingent liabilities associated with the programme to be publicly disclosed and Ghana’s gold reserves accounted for transparently under standard reserve-reporting arrangements.

With concerns over the reported $1.7 billion loss already intensifying, the Weija/Gbawe MP says the government’s next move must be to implement the reforms recommended by the international financial institutions and ensure that Ghana does not suffer similar losses in future.

The issue is expected to remain a major subject of parliamentary scrutiny as calls grow for greater accountability in the country’s gold trade.

Former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s Secretary and Legal Counsel, Kow Essuman, has threatened to take legal action over what he says are outstanding salary arrears and terminal benefits owed to him.

The former presidential appointee has reportedly given the government a deadline to settle the outstanding payments or face a potential court battle.

Kow Essuman demands payment

Kow Essuman, who served as a key member of Akufo-Addo’s administration, is seeking payment of salary arrears and other benefits following the end of his tenure.

Reports indicate that his lawyers have formally raised the matter with the Finance Ministry, demanding that the outstanding obligations be settled.

The dispute has now escalated to the point where legal action is being threatened if the government fails to resolve the issue.

Deadline issued to government

According to the report, Essuman’s lawyers have issued a deadline for the payment of the outstanding benefits.

Failure to comply could result in the former presidential legal counsel pursuing the matter through the courts.

The development puts further attention on how former political appointees are treated financially after leaving office, particularly where contractual or terminal benefits remain outstanding.

Lawyers allege unfair treatment

Essuman’s legal representatives have also raised concerns about what they consider discriminatory treatment in the handling of his claim.

The lawyers argue that the former presidential appointee is entitled to the payments being demanded and are pushing for the matter to be resolved without further escalation.

The case could therefore develop into a legal confrontation between the former Akufo-Addo appointee and the government if an agreement is not reached.

Government faces pressure to settle

The dispute comes at a time when government finances and expenditure on public officials remain under intense public scrutiny.

For Essuman, however, the issue is about securing what he and his lawyers maintain are contractual entitlements arising from his service at the Presidency.

Whether the Finance Ministry will settle the outstanding claims or allow the matter to proceed to court remains to be seen.

For now, Kow Essuman’s threat of legal action has placed the government under pressure to address his demand for unpaid salary arrears and terminal benefits.