The Tema Central Constituency Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ian Okwei Tabalor, has strongly denied allegations made by the Tema Development Company (TDC) Limited that he facilitated the illegal sale of a public plot of land in Tema Community 5 to his wife for GHS 2,000.
The claims were earlier raised by TDC’s Managing Director, Courage Makafui Nunekpeku, who told the press that the land, originally designated for a public toilet facility, had been acquired by Mr. Okwei’s wife.
Mr. Nunekpeku indicated that the land had since been recovered as part of the company’s campaign to reclaim illegally acquired plots. He further noted that Mr. Okwei’s employment with TDC, where he worked as a protocol officer to a former Managing Director, had been terminated following an internal investigation.
Responding to the allegations, Mr. Okwei rejected claims that he was involved in the transaction and described the accusations as baseless. He explained how his wife came into acquisition of the plot.
“She went through the process, applied, and paid the Land Management Fee and Fee Fixing approved by TDC. I have no hand in them. I am a protocol officer, not a manager. I am not responsible for land allocation”
Ian Okwei Tabalor, Tema Central Constituency Secretary of the NPP
He further clarified that his wife Irene became aware of the land through her brother, a former worker of TDC, who informed her about the availability of a commercial plot near his own. He maintained that Irene followed due process and applied legitimately.
Mr. Okwei added that the allocation was approved by Mr. Asare Darko, a former Estate Manager at TDC, who issued the land allocation proposal. He explained that Irene paid the required fees, received a site plan, and secured an Environmental and Technical Assessment permit for the 28-by-30-foot plot within the designated commercial enclave.
The NPP secretary expressed frustration at being accused of influencing the process, insisting that his duties at TDC had nothing to do with land allocation.
“My work had been to being charge of events, meetings, governmental relationship or institutional relationship, and then sometimes when VIPs are coming into the company I arrange facility tours and those things. So for the Managing Director to accuse me of the one to have sold a portion of the land to my wife I think it is very very unfair”
Ian Okwei Tabalor, Tema Central Constituency Secretary of the NPP
He described the allegations as misleading and insisted that he had no involvement in the land transaction beyond his wife’s independent application.
Acceptance Of Dismissal
Despite contesting the accusations, Mr. Okwei stated that he had accepted his dismissal from TDC “in good faith.” His appointment, he explained, had been through a public recruitment process, and he had served the company until the decision to terminate his employment was made.
“My file for recruitment is available in the company. My letter stating that I was terminated is in the company. I was terminated without any reason. I have served and worked in the company, and the MD has the opportunity to make certain decisions he wants to make”
Ian Okwei Tabalor, Tema Central Constituency Secretary of the NPP
The dismissal, he explained, was communicated while he was on leave, leaving him with little opportunity to contest the action. He also added that he was unaware of any violations pertaining to his employment or work that has done harm to the company to warrant such a decision from the management.
“I have gone through the procedure for me to exit the company amicably. I don’t think I want to banter with anything or tarnish the image of anybody,” he said.
TDC has maintained that the land was wrongly allocated and that it had been recovered to ensure its intended purpose is preserved. The company said its actions were in line with ongoing efforts to address irregularities in land allocations and protect public property.
The matter continues to draw attention in Tema as questions remain over the transparency of past land allocations and the company’s internal oversight mechanisms.
While Mr. Okwei has sought to distance himself from the allegations, his dismissal and the recovery of the plot underline the tensions surrounding the case.
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