NPP Minority accuses Mahama of fueling ‘NDC thuggery’ with formation of ORAL Committee

The Minority New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Parliament has accused President John Dramani Mahama of creating a dangerous precedent by establishing the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) Committee.

According to the Caucus, the Committee, set up even before the president took the oath of office, threatens the country’s democratic institutions and erodes the rule of law.

Deputy Minority Leader and the MP for Asokwa Patricia Appiagyei raised concerns about the establishment of the ORAL Committee, which is tasked with recovering alleged stolen assets from the previous administration.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, January 9, 2025, Hon. Appiagyei argued that the committee is both unconstitutional and illegal, as it goes beyond the powers granted to a President-elect under the Presidential Transition Act, 2012.

She stated, “The creation of the ORAL Committee before President Mahama even took the oath of office shows a complete disregard for the law. The President has no legal authority to establish such a body at this stage, and doing so signals a troubling precedent that undermines the rule of law.”

The Minority contends that the Committee, with its prosecutorial and investigative powers, is an overreach that violates the constitutional framework governing the peaceful transition of power.

They assert that the ORAL Committee’s actions have emboldened supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to engage in lawless behavior, further escalating tensions across the country.

The Minority raised alarm over the increasing violence and intimidation allegedly orchestrated by NDC supporters, which they claim is directly linked to the formation of the ORAL Committee.

In recent weeks, acts of violence and intimidation have become more frequent, with reports of NDC supporters storming public institutions and engaging in confrontational tactics to assert control.

“We have witnessed disturbing scenes in Tema, Koforidua, and other regions, where NDC supporters have seized government offices, locked down public institutions, and even threatened judicial officers. This wave of violence is nothing short of an attempt to destabilize the country and enforce partisan control of state resources,” the Asokwa MP lamented.

In Tema, NDC supporters attempted to seize control of the Tema Port and demanded the removal of all non-NDC workers, an action the NPP condemned as an unconstitutional attempt to control state institutions.

The situation in Koforidua escalated with NDC supporters locking up the offices of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) manager and surrounding premises of key agencies like the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the National Service Scheme (NSS). In Tema, the takeover of the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) and the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) followed, raising further concerns.

“What we see today in the actions of pro-NDC thugs across the country is a direct consequence of this illegitimate committee.”

“The rhetoric of the ORAL Committee has emboldened party loyalists to act outside the law, taking matters into their own hands in a misguided attempt to enforce what they perceive as the President’s agenda,” said Appiagyei.

The NPP also condemned the targeting of judicial officers, with reports indicating that homes of some judges have been vandalized, and their families threatened.

“These attacks on the judiciary strike at the heart of our democracy. A judiciary under siege cannot dispense justice or act independently,” she warned.

The Minority called on President Mahama to end the unlawful establishment of the ORAL Committee and to take swift action to restore order and the rule of law in the country.

The Caucus insisted that the lack of evidence to support the claims of corruption and mismanagement by the previous administration makes the acts of violence unjustifiable.

She stressed that Ghana is a constitutional democracy, not a revolutionary state, and urged the President to put an end to these unlawful actions and respect the democratic principles that define the nation