The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Volta Region has called on President John Dramani Mahama to remove the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, from office over what it described as disrespectful conduct towards the Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
The Volta Regional Chairman of the NPP, Makafui Kofi Woanya, made the call at a press conference in Ho, where he accused Mr Gyamfi of using a state platform to attack the Minority Leader instead of responding to concerns surrounding the reported $1.7 billion loss associated with GoldBod’s operations.
Mr Woanya argued that no government appointee had the right to demean a citizen for raising questions about the management of public resources.
“No appointee owns Ghana. No appointee has the right to treat any Ghanaian as a servant because that Ghanaian has raised legitimate questions about the management of our national resources,” he said.
He said citizens had a constitutional right to demand accountability from public officials and that such questions should be addressed with facts rather than personal attacks or insults.
“Ghanaians have the right to ask questions, and when questions are raised about the management of our resources, the appropriate response is to provide answers, not to attack the person asking the questions,” Mr Woanya said.
The NPP chairman further accused Mr Gyamfi of breaching the government’s Code of Conduct for appointees and called for sanctions if the allegations were established.
“Breaching that Code of Ethics must have consequences. Otherwise, it is not a code at all. It is decoration,” he declared.
Mr Woanya said President Mahama should act decisively to demonstrate that members of his government were subject to the same standards of accountability expected of other public officials.
“We call on President Mahama to either remove Sammy Gyamfi from office or, at the very least, publicly reprimand him for this conduct,” he said.
He also questioned the extent of presidential oversight over government appointees if an official could allegedly use a state platform to attack the Minority Leader without facing disciplinary action.
“If an appointee can use a state platform to attack a Minority Leader and nothing happens, then Ghanaians have every reason to ask whether the President is in charge of his appointees,” Mr Woanya stated.
According to him, public officials must uphold decorum and demonstrate respect for state institutions and individuals, regardless of political differences.
“Public office is a trust. It comes with responsibility and accountability, and no one who occupies public office should think that the position gives him the licence to insult or attack citizens,” he said.
Mr Woanya said the NPP in the Volta Region would continue to support the Minority Caucus in its demand for greater transparency and accountability from the government, particularly in matters involving the management of public resources.
“We will continue to demand accountability because the resources being managed by government officials belong to the people of Ghana, not to individual appointees,” he stressed.
He urged President Mahama to demonstrate that no member of his government was above accountability, saying decisive action was necessary to protect public confidence in state institutions.
“The President must show that there is accountability in his government and that no appointee is above the law. Ghana belongs to all of us, and public office must always be exercised with humility, responsibility and respect,” he said.
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