MP for North Tongu slams “Ridiculous and Preposterous” Petition against Him, Calls for Dismissal of Allegations

Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has lambasted a petition filed against him by Deputy Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah Bonsu, describing it as “ridiculous and preposterous.”

Speaking on Metro TV’s “Good Morning Ghana” program on June 14, 2024, the North Tongu MP asserted that the allegations made in the petition are baseless and do not warrant any serious discussion and airtime. He argued that the project for which he was accused of having a conflict of interest never materialized, rendering the petition meaningless.

“If he had done a bit of investigation, he would have found out that the entire project did not take off. So, how does that become an office of profit or conflict of interest? The petition is baseless. This should not be worthy of discussion”.

The MP further refuted claims that he had breached Article 98 of the constitution, which deals with the prohibition of MPs from holding an office of profit. Mr. Ablakwa revealed that his name remains on the books of the Registrar General’s Department as a director of a company, but stressed that the initiative for which the petition was filed never came to fruition.

“We have written to the GRA that we are not in operation. Even with my name still in the books of the Registrar General’s Department as a Director of a company, CHRAJ is not the appropriate body to send the petition,” he argued.

It would be recalled that the Deputy Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah Bonsu, has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to probe the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

Mr. Owusu-Bempah says the lawmaker has violated a provision in the 1992 Constitution by engaging in a profitable venture without seeking approval from Parliament.

He says the act contravenes the very constitution the MP swore an oath to uphold.

But Mr. Ablakwa suggested that the petition was an attempt to obliterate his campaign to stop a “sweetheart deal” between the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and Rock City Hotel Ltd, where a minister of state is seeking to buy majority shares in four hotels.

“I have not breached Article 98. The initiative for which the petition was sent to the CHRAJ did not start. We have written to the GRA that we are not in operation”

“Even with my name still in the books of Registrar General Department as a Director of a company, CHRAJ is not the appropriate body to send the petition. It’s an attempt to obliterate my campaign to stop the sweetheart deal between SSNIT and Bryan Acheampong’s Rock City Hotel Ltd”