The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Richard Ahiagbah has accused North Tongu lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa of rushing to organised a demonstration against the sale of the hotels belonging to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to Agric Minister Bryan Acheampong.
In the view of Mr Ahiagbah, Mr Ablakwa should have waited for the petition that he filed at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to be concluded to determine the way forward.
Samuel Okudzeto has been raising issues against the move to sell the hotels to Minister of Food and Agriculture Bryan Acheampong.
He has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice over this matter.
On Monday, June 18, he also organised a demonstration against the move.
Mr Ablakwa said earlier that “This demonstration becomes absolutely crucial because of the latest intercepted documents, which reveal that SSNIT is proceeding with the transaction despite my CHRAJ complaint and despite the palpable public outrage.”
But in a statement on his X platform reacting to the demonstration, Mr Ahiagbah said “The right for citizens to demonstrate is a core democratic right. However, I expected Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa to have waited for the conclusion of the democratic process he triggered with CHRAJ before resorting to a demonstration. Doing so would have minimized the political motive of his pursuit.”
The SSNIT Hotel Transaction, a potential threat to the independence of a state institution, is a matter of grave concern…
The right for citizens to demonstrate is a core democratic right. However, I expected Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa to have waited for the conclusion of the…
— Richard Ahiagbah (@RAahiagbah) June 18, 2024
Below is the full statement…
The SSNIT Hotel Transaction, a potential threat to the independence of a state institution, is a matter of grave concern…
The right for citizens to demonstrate is a core democratic right. However, I expected Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa to have waited for the conclusion of the democratic process he triggered with CHRAJ before resorting to a demonstration. Doing so would have minimized the political motive of his pursuit.
The crux of the matter is the ability of SSNIT or any state institution to fulfill its mandate independently. Hon. Ablakwa’s concern with the hotel transaction is that SSNIT, as an independent institution, should not be allowed to pursue the outcome of the procurement process to offload its shares in the stated hotels because Rock City, which belongs to Bryan Acheampong, won the bid.
From the records SSNIT has put out so far, the processes leading to the settlement on Rock City have been above board. However, because Bryan Acheampong, the Minister for Food and Agriculture’s company, Rock City, won the bid, it should be scrapped by hook or crook. So, what if another company had won the bid? Would Hon. Ablakwa have accepted that outcome?
The question of conflict of interest for me does not arise because the process to offload SSNIT’s interests in these hotels started in 2018, 5 years before Hon. Bryan Acheampong became the Minister for Food and Agriculture. Again, the question must be asked: Had SSNIT terminated the procurement process to divest its shares to Rock City between 2019 and 2023 before Bryan Acheampong became a minister, would there have been any concerns or issues of conflict of interest?
If there would not have been a conflict of interest concerns had Rock City bought SSNIT’s share before Bryan Acheampong became a Minister, why is it a concern now?
I am open to joining any demonstration that provides concrete evidence that the bidding process, initiated in 2018 before Bryan Acheampong assumed his ministerial role, was biased in favor of Rock City. Or a demonstration that proves that Rock City did not win the bid competitively or that other bidders submitted superior bids compared to Rock City.
Until then, I have taken the view that what is being championed by my good brother, Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa’s convenient politics has catastrophic implications for corporate governance and the ability of state institutions to function independently. There is no reason why we should condone the disruption being propagated by Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa.
This is a clear case of form over substance. Somehow, because public sentiment is on edge in this election year, it is being abused to subject the expected independence of SSNIT to political whims.
The post ‘Hands off our hotels’ demo: Ablakwa rushed, he should have waited for CHRAJ report – Ahiagbah first appeared on 3News.
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