Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed, has offered clarity on why Assin South MP, Rev. Ntim Fordjour, declined to cooperate with security agencies following his claims about two aircraft allegedly transporting illicit drugs and laundered money into Ghana.
President John Dramani Mahama had earlier directed security agencies to engage with Rev. Fordjour to investigate the allegations.
However, the President’s directive was quickly overshadowed by public comments from Minister of State in charge of Government Communication, Felix Ofosu Kwakye, who dismissed the MP’s claims as “baseless” and accused him of spreading misinformation intended to tarnish the government’s image.
Tensions heightened when operatives from the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) attempted to arrest Rev. Fordjour — a move that was blocked by Minority MPs in Parliament. The Minority cited the absence of a valid warrant and accused the NIB of sidestepping proper legal procedures.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Saturday, April 12, Haruna Mohammed explained that Rev. Fordjour had initially been willing to cooperate but lost faith in the process due to the government’s premature dismissal of the claims.
“The conflict here is that Rev. Ntim Fordjour was ready to collaborate with the investigators. Then government’s communication came out to say there was nothing, and went ahead to comment on the substance of the matter. Do you get the problem?” Haruna said.
He stressed that the MP felt the integrity of the investigation had been compromised once the government publicly declared its position.
“Because the government had already communicated and defended, Rev. Ntim Fordjour lost trust in the process. A position had been taken, and a judgment passed that there was nothing to investigate,” he added.
Haruna also revealed that Rev. Fordjour had attempted to engage the Majority Caucus in Parliament over the matter but was unsuccessful.
As a result, he noted, the MP has since adopted a more partisan approach in pursuing the issue.
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