Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu, has questioned whether President Akufo-Addo allocated public lands to his daughter and niece, urging the President and the Lands Commission to provide clarity before January 7, 2025.
He warned that official Lands Commission documents obtained by the SOA Oversight in August and September 2024 would reveal any last-minute efforts to alter the records.
“The President’s daughter, Edwina Akufo-Addo is the proud owner of the upmarket Nsuomnam Restaurant while the President’s niece Adeline Akufo-Addo Kufuor owns The Lotte, an elite fashion house.
“Both businesses which are about 4 years old were established in close proximity on prime Cantonments land after Akufo-Addo was elected President”.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Ablakwa disclosed that extensive parliamentary oversight conducted over several months has confirmed that the prime Cantonments land is public property.
He revealed that the land has been used for private investments by Edwina Akufo-Addo and Adeline Akufo-Addo Kufuor, both politically exposed persons.
He highlighted that a formal search conducted by his oversight team on August 21, 2024, at the Lands Commission revealed that the land occupied by “The Lotte” is classified as public land.
According to Ablakwa, the official search certificate issued according to their application bears Job Number LCGACS292534972024 and is dated August 26, 2024.
Signed by Collins Tetteh, an Assistant Land Administration Officer, the document provides concrete evidence of the land’s status.
The MP further emphasized that the records at the Lands Commission show that the 0.33-acre (0.13-hectare) parcel of land in question remains State Land.
He indicated that the land was originally acquired under a Certificate of Title dated August 23, 1894, for Hausa Reserve purposes. “The Lands Commission adds that this land has not been affected by any plotted activity”.
Ablakwa noted that Lands Commission records reveal a puzzling discrepancy regarding how the President’s niece acquired the land and why official documents fail to account for the recent developments on the property. “There is also no record of lease or payment for that piece of prime Cantonments land”.
He further highlighted that the land’s current use as a fashion boutique, operating for nearly five years, deviates from the original purpose for which the state acquired it, raising additional legal concerns.
Ablakwa Exposes Conflicting Records on Nsuomnam Restaurant Land
Furthermore, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa pointed out complications surrounding the land occupied by Nsuomnam Restaurant, noting that the Lands Commission holds two conflicting records for the same parcel of land.
Ablakwa revealed that a formal search by his team on September 8, 2024, led to a Lands Commission Search Certificate, signed by Elder Ekow Edwards on September 10, 2024.
He indicated that the certificate, with Job Number LCGACS320223852024, confirms that the 1.19-acre Nsuomnam land is State Land acquired in 1894 for the Hausa Reserve and notes no plotted activity on the land.
“Strangely, another formal search on the same Nsuomnam land carried out earlier on 21st August 2024 produced a different outcome.
“This time the Lands Commission official Search Certificate with Job Number: LCGACS292485782024 and signed by the same Elder Ekow Edwards presents the following contrasting history: State Land acquired on August 23, 1894 for Hausa Reserve; leased to Johnson Boateng Siriboe for 99 years by Government on 03/06/1969; Mortgage dated 26/02/1970 from Johnson Boateng Siriboe to Barclays Bank D.C.O”.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Ablakwa highlighted that even with the second conflicting Search Certificate, the original 1894 state acquisition of the land is undisputed.
He criticized the Lands Commission for issuing conflicting search certificates, both signed by the same official, regarding the Nsuomnam land.
These discrepancies, he argued, fail to provide credible accountability for the public land’s status or how Edwina Akufo-Addo’s Nsuomnam came to occupy it. “President Akufo-Addo’s apparent reprehensible conflict of interest conduct in this family land grab affair must be the subject of a special probe”.
Mahama’s Commitment to Tackling State Capture Applauded
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa expressed his satisfaction, noting that it is encouraging that the incoming John Mahama-led government has committed to addressing State Capture.
He emphasized that the government plans to launch a full-scale inquiry and repossession of all looted lands.
“I duly endorse recent statements from the respected statesman and former Ghana School of Law Director, Kwaku Ansa-Asare who is demanding that the new Mahama administration embarks on mass dismissals and sanctions of officials at the Lands Commission for their active role in the State Capture epidemic”.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Ablakwa expressed that it is encouraging to recognize incoming President Mahama’s pledge to usher in a new era of combating State Capture.
He highlighted that this will begin with a ban on all political appointees, politically exposed persons, and their relatives, including children, from purchasing state assets. “I have absolutely no doubt that President Mahama’s ORAL framework shall come to our rescue and help us RESET Ghana”.
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