Founder and President of Concern Voters Movement (CVM), Razak Kojo Opoku, has described as baseless and needless calls forFinance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to resign over the botched Sputnik V vaccine supply deal.
According to him, the calls primarily being championed by elements of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are off the mark because they are premised not on any wrongdoing by the Minister but because he is a cousin to the President.
He noted that the agenda to drag Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta into the discussion is borne out of empty hatred against his person and his blood relation with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Razak Kojo Opoku, in a statement copied to the Ghanaian Publisher, stated that the noise from the NDC elements and calls for the resignation of the Finance Minister is an attempt to divert the attention of Ghanaians from the Saglemi Housing Project scandal caused by the Mahama and NDC administration.
He said, “He who demands equity must come with clean hands. I would like to ask the NDC officials and members the following equity questions:
- Did Dr. Kwabena Duffour ever resign as a Minister of Finance when he paid a whopping 51.2 million Ghana Cedis to Alfred Agbesi Woyome under the Mills/Mahama’s Government?
- Did Seth Terkper ever resign over the $3 million cash-filled airplane to Brazil during the World Cup tournament?
- Did Seth Terkper ever resign over the payment of 3.6million Ghana Cedis to the Smartty’s Bus branding saga?
- Did Seth Terkper ever resign over the inflated $600million Ameri Power deal under Mahama’s Government?
- Did Seth Terkper ever resign over GYEEDA and SADA Scandals under Mahama’s Government?
- Did Seth Terkper ever resign over Airbus Scandal under Mahama’s Government?
- Did Seth Terkper ever resign when he paid $179 million for $64million work under the Saglemi Housing Project Scandal?
- Did Seth Terkper ever resign over the embezzlement of $114million by NDC Officials under the Saglemi Housing Project Scandal?”
“It is very imperative for the officials, Members of Parliament and communicators of the NDC to stop the ugly noise, the double standards, political hypocrisy, political blackmail and propaganda against Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta and family members of President Akufo-Addo.”
“The Minister of Finance, Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta shall not resign today, tomorrow or in the future over the procurement of Sputnik Vaccine by the Minister of Health,” he stated.
According to him, since Sheikh Al Maktoum has agreed to refund the money for the undelivered vaccine there is no basis to call on the Minister for Finance to resign adding, “If not for sheer hatred, political blackmail and propaganda against the person of Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta by NDC members.”
The CVM Founder noted that it is also needless to attack the Health Minister more especially, considering the difficult situation the country was going through during the peak of the COVID-19 cases.
Any rational and emotionally intelligent person who cherishes the lives of human beings over money, he said, would do everything humanly possible to save the lives of his people at the expense of money and procurement procedures.
He contended that was exactly what the Health Minister did as a compassionate reasonable human being who cherishes saving the lives of human beings than protecting money.
He said, “Under Section 18 of the Public Financial Management Act 2016 (Act 921) passed by Mahama’s Government, the Health Minister did no wrong in the procurement of the vaccines considering the critical situation at the time.”
“Section 18 of the Public Financial Management Act 921 states that a fiscal target or rule provided for in the fiscal strategy document may be suspended where there is an event of a natural disaster, public health epidemic or war. In this instance, the COVID-19 clearly falls under Section 18 of the Public Financial Management Act 921.”
“We also have to appreciate the fact that the best decisions taken by President Akufo-Addo and his able Minister of Finance and Health Minister counted Ghana as one of the best managers of COVID-19 globally,” he said.
He observed that if Sammy Gyamfi, Clement Apaak, the Minority in Parliament (then-Majority under Mills/Mahama’s Administration) could not call for the resignation of Seth Terkper and Dr. Kwabena Duffour over the Woyome, GYEEDA, SADA, Ameri, Airbus, Smartty’s Bus Branding, Brazil World Cup and Saglemi Housing Project Scandals, then certainly, elements of the NDC have absolutely no basis and justification to call for the resignation of Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta over the refunded $2 million, which was meant for the procurement of Sputnik V vaccine with the sole intention of saving the lives of Ghanaians from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is equally important to point out that it is absolutely childish to compare the procurement breaches of Charlotte Osei to that of the Health Minister who was under enormous psychological pressure and stress to save the lives of Ghanaians from the global COVID-19 pandemic.”
“The procurement breaches of the Health Minister was meant to save the precious lives of Ghanaians as a responsible citizen. What lives did Charlotte Osei’s procurement breaches save,” he quizzed?
Razak Opoku ridiculed the NDC critics and charged them to be serious thinkers with compassionate hearts for human lives and stressed that protecting human lives from COVID-19 is more important than procedural errors in procurement.
He insisted that Ken Ofori-Atta has done absolutely nothing wrong to warrant resignation and therefore such calls are needles, baseless and without merit.
Source: MyPublisher24.com