Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has defended his long-standing campaign against the charter of luxury jets during former President Akufo-Addo’s administration, insisting that his stance has been vindicated by subsequent developments.
In a statement titled “The Presidential Jet Debate — My Proud Legacy for God and Country and Why Dishonest Spin and Hate Campaigns Cannot Defeat Truth,” Ablakwa dismissed calls for his resignation or apology, describing them as comical.
“It is really comical that the very people demanding of me to apologize or resign are the same people trying so hard to emulate my actions — the overwhelming verdict by Ghanaians, however, is that, so far, the ‘wannabes’ have been spectacularly disastrous,” he said.
According to him, some Ghanaians have even suggested he organize a workshop for MPs he claims have been disgraced by their lack of principle and sincerity.
Ablakwa argued that he was vindicated when Akufo-Addo, after years of pressure, abandoned the chartering of ultra-luxury executive jets at taxpayer expense in his final year in office.
“The dishonest hirelings would want us to forget that from the second half of 2023, all the way to the end of his tenure on January 6, 2025, President Akufo-Addo abandoned chartered travels and resorted to the use of Ghana’s Presidential Jet,” he stated.
He added that while some believe the change was due to Ghana’s bankruptcy and a $3 billion IMF bailout, he had on record commended the former president for the decision.
The North Tongu MP stressed that Akufo-Addo’s eventual reliance on the Presidential Jet for over 18 months proved that his earlier advocacy was right.
“That President Akufo-Addo relied exclusively on Ghana’s Presidential Jet until he left office confirms that I wasn’t wrong when I insisted that the Presidential Jet which was purchased by President Kufuor in 2008 for US$37 million and used by the previous Mills and Mahama presidencies was fit for purpose,” he argued.
