Press secretary and spokesperson to the Vice President Ama Pratt, has criticised Reverend John Ntim Fordjour for refusing to cooperate with state investigative bodies following his explosive drug trafficking accusations against the government.
According to Pratt, the member of parliament’s posture is inconsistent with the democratic ideals he claims to defend.
She argued that Fordjour, after making a categorical accusation against the state, failed to show the responsibility expected of a legislator. She emphasized that the MP did not merely pose questions but made direct claims.
“And I get very uneasy when people say, oh, he just sort of brought it out there. No, he didn’t and it wasn’t questions that he raised either.
“He made a very categorical statement that he has chosen to back continuously since the first one”
Ama Pratt, Vice Presidential Spokesperson
According to her following his initial press conference, Fordjour had the opportunity to temper his accusations, but instead continued to accuse the government of cocaine trafficking across multiple public platforms.
“Every tweet the Reverend, Ntim Foudjour has made since this incident has been further cocaine accusations: cocaine government, you’re buying cocaine, cocaine spokesperson”
Ama Pratt, Vice Presidential Spokesperson
Pratt observed this with concern, tagging the pattern as an indicator of political irresponsibility. She called attention to President John Dramani Mahama’s response to the allegations.
“This is a president that has zero tolerance for drug trafficking and for money laundering,” she said, referencing Mahama’s instruction for state agencies to collaborate with Fordjour to uncover the truth.
“So he said ‘please, all investigative bodies collaborate with the member of parliament, the lawmaker, legislator, and let’s get to the bottom of this”
Ama Pratt, Vice Presidential Spokesperson
She then questioned Fordjour’s decision to retreat behind the protection of his party colleagues rather than submit to an investigation.
“You want to uphold truth and democracy, investigative bodies have come to you, let’s go and uphold truth and democracy and you hold a press conference shielded by your fellow NPP MPs and you say ‘no, we will not collaborate but we want to uphold truth and democracy,’ are we going to do this spiritually?”
Ama Pratt, Vice Presidential Spokesperson
Fordjour’s Conduct Unbecoming
Journalist and social critic Susan Ama-Amankwah also condemned Fordjour’s actions, suggesting that he has failed to carry himself with the expected decorum of a man of the cloth.
“Maybe I have a certain idea of how men of the cloth are supposed to behave and in the normal curve, he’s not behaving in the way that you would think a supposedly man of God should behave”
Susan Ama-Amankwah, Journalist and Social Critic
Ama-Amankwah pointed to Fordjour’s parliamentary stature and role as Ranking Member for Defence and Interior, stressing that such a position comes with a responsibility to protect Ghana’s international image.
She contended that if Fordjour had genuine concerns, his first approach should have been discreet engagement with national security agencies, rather than public spectacle about the Drug trafficking allegations.
“If he found something that is wrong, that goes to tarnish the image of this country – not just it’s not about the politics, but the image of this country, the first thing to do would not be to sit at a press conference and blurt things out”
Susan Ama-Amankwah, Journalist and Social Critic
She argued that public disclosure should come only after private measures to address the issue have failed.
“You try certain measures, and if they don’t work, then you say, ‘look now I’m going to go public with it because I have tried the quiet way. I have tried to save this country’s face’”
Susan Ama-Amankwah, Journalist and Social Critic
Ama-Amankwah challenged Fordjour to confirm whether he made any such effort. She believes his pattern of media appearances contradicts any claim of private diplomacy on the issue.
“We have a lot of politicians who really don’t care about this country. All they ask is to do some grandstanding”
Susan Ama-Amankwah, Journalist and Social Critic
With Fordjour yet to submit himself for investigations and still standing by his allegations, public commentators continue to question his motives and sincerity.
Meanwhile, the Mahama administration has reiterated its willingness to subject all officials and agencies to scrutiny in pursuit of justice.
READ MORE: 10% U.S. Tariff Threatens Ghana’s Export Gains, IMANI Warns
