A simmering pressure is mounting on the Controller and Accountant-General (CA-G), Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem, to resign, following his public declaration of intent to contest the Akyem Swedru parliamentary seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to anti-graft crusader, Vitus Azeem, it will be disingenuous for the senior state official to continue to hold on to his position, while aspiring to be a parliamentarian.
Mr. Azeem said, the intention of Mr. Kwaning-Bosompem is already known and so the only option left for him is to resign honourably.
The former Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) boss, speaking on Accra-based Class FM on Monday, December 11, stressed the need for integrity and appropriateness in public service.
“It is only reasonable and fair, and if he has integrity, to resign… It is no longer a secret that you’re in active politics,” remarked Mr. Azeem.
In the view of Mr. Azeem, the Controller and Accountant-General wields control over significant resources in his office. To allay fears of exploiting these resources for political gain, Mr. Azeem contends that resignation is the only appropriate course of action.
“You cannot keep hanging on there and using official cars, possibly accompanied by your staff, to campaign in your constituency every weekend. That doesn’t make sense; it doesn’t appear reasonable,” Mr. Azeem stated.
He expressed disapproval of the use of official vehicles and accommodations funded by the government for political campaigning.
Mr. Azeem argued that, the moment a public servant publicly declares an intention to contest primaries on a political party’s ticket, it is imperative to step away from the public service role.
He criticized the practice of public servants retaining their positions even after electoral defeat, highlighting it as a significant weakness in the country’s democratic system.
Posters of Mr. Kwaning-Bosompem have since emerged in and around the Akyem Swedru constituency in the Eastern Region, where the Controller hails from.
A copy of the posters sighted by The Anchor, where Mr. Kwaning-Bosompem describes himself as “The hope for Akyem Swedru constituency.”
He has reportedly also confirmed he is in the race to unseat the incumbent and former Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, who entered Parliament in 2017.
What is however generating the conversation is his refusal to resign contrary to law that bars one from continuing to hold his position as a civil servant when contesting for political position.
Meanwhile, the Controller and Accountant-General Department Public Relations unit has denied allegation by Bongo Member of Parliament (MP) that Mr. Kwaning-Bosompem has put delegates of the Akyem Swedru on government payroll.
Edward Bawa, while contributing to a discussion on TV3’s Keypoints programme, concerning vote-buying in the just ended NPP orphan constituency primaries, alleged that the act has been going for the past two years.
He claimed some of the delegates made the claim on air.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) member, who himself lost in his party’s primaries a while back, said “Currently, as we sit, on live radio, you know the current sitting Controller and Accountant-General, Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem is vying to contest one of the seats in the Central Region. Every delegate has been put on salary, and he has been doing that for about two years.
“That’s what I heard. So yesterday, you had a situation where people were now texting and saying ‘incoming MP.’ I say if you have a situation where you control my money, there must be a law on how you deal with some of these things. Everybody is seeing it, and nobody is questioning it. The OSP is not interested in investigating this.”
Baseless Claim
But reacting to the allegation, the unit of the department vehemently debunked the MP’s claim, saying “It is important to note that the payroll system of the Government of Ghana is a complex and meticulously designed process that involves multiple layers of scrutiny, verification and established protocols.
“The allegations suggesting that the Controller and Accountant-General manipulated the payroll system, and single-handedly put unauthorised names on the payroll for two years are not only false and baseless, but also undermine the integrity of the Department.
“It is essential that we rely on credible evidence and due process of verifications before making such ill-minded and outrageous accusations that can have far-reaching consequences.
“The doors of the Department are open to any independent investigation into the allegations. It is crucial that the reputation of the Controller and Accountant-General, as well as the integrity of the CAGD, be restored and upheld.”
Mr. Kwaning-Bosopem himself is yet to comment on either the allegation or the call on him to resign.
The NPP announced the opening of nominations for the party’s parliamentary primaries election for constituencies with incumbent Members of Parliament on Wednesday, December 20.
The decision was made at the NPP’s National Executive Committee and National Council meeting held on Wednesday, December 6, at the Alisa hotel, Accra.
In a statement signed by the NPP’s General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, the nominations will remain open till Monday, December 25.
The date for the conduct of the parliamentary primaries in these constituencies has been rescheduled to Saturday, January 27, 2024.
Source: Anchorghana.com