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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has thrown its full support behind Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and the Minority Caucus in their demand for a comprehensive investigation into the reported GH¢22 billion losses associated with the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod).
The party’s position comes amid a growing dispute between the Minority in Parliament and GoldBod Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi over the circumstances surrounding the reported losses and who should be held responsible.
Addressing a press briefing on Tuesday, August 25, NPP National Organiser Henry Nana Boakye said the party was united behind the Minority Caucus and would support its efforts to secure answers through Parliament.
“We are fully behind the Minority. On behalf of the entire New Patriotic Party, there is no confusion anywhere. We are fully behind the mighty Minority,” he said.
Mr Nana Boakye stressed that the party’s backing covered all members of the Minority Caucus under the leadership of Mr Afenyo-Markin.
He said the NPP supports the questions being raised by the Minority and its demand for transparency regarding the operations of the state institution responsible for purchasing and safeguarding Ghana’s gold.
“We wholeheartedly support each member of our Minority Caucus in this struggle,” he said.
“We back their questions, we back their scrutiny, we back their demand for a full, transparent account of how a state institution charged with buying and protecting Ghana’s gold ended up presiding over such huge losses of this magnitude.”
The NPP National Organiser rejected attempts to frame the matter as merely a contest between political parties, insisting that the management of public funds was a matter of national interest.
“This is not partisan politics. This is a national duty,” he said.
Mr Nana Boakye assured the Minority that the NPP would maintain its support until all outstanding questions surrounding the reported losses had been addressed.
He argued that any government entrusted with public resources must be accountable to citizens for how those resources are managed.
“Whoever governs this country is answerable to the people who elected them. They are answerable to every dollar of the people’s money that passes through their hands,” he said.
He further declared that the party would not retreat from the issue until there was full public accountability.
“We are not backing off, not now, not tomorrow, not until every question is answered in full and in public and under proper scrutiny,” he added.
NPP urges Minority to use parliamentary tools
Mr Nana Boakye encouraged the Minority Leader and other members of the caucus to deploy all available parliamentary mechanisms to pursue the matter.
He urged them to use parliamentary questions, committee hearings, requests for documents, motions, points of order and other procedures provided under Parliament’s Standing Orders.
“Use every relevant law in the books, every question on the floor of Parliament, every committee hearing, every request for documents, every order paper, every point of order,” he said.
“Utilise every relevant tool provided by the Standing Orders in our Parliament with confidence,” he added.
According to him, Parliament has a responsibility to represent the interests of Ghanaians and ensure that public institutions are subjected to appropriate scrutiny.
“The Parliament belongs to the people of Ghana, not to the convenience of whoever is in the office,” Mr Nana Boakye stated.
He also urged the Minority to take the matter beyond parliamentary proceedings by engaging the public and seeking answers in what he described as the court of public opinion.
“Fight for the people of Ghana in the court of public opinion as well. Fight until the Ghanaian people receive all the answers they deserve,” he said.
Mr Nana Boakye said the NPP would continue to monitor developments closely and maintain its support for the Minority’s efforts.
He also called on Ghanaians to take an active interest in the controversy and demand accountability over the reported GH¢22 billion losses.