The Director in Charge of Communications and Branding for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s 2028 presidential campaign, Nana Akomea, has accused President John Mahama of engaging in the same practice he previously criticized under the Akufo-Addo government, by using internal investigations to clear public officials accused of wrongdoing.
Nana Akomea questioned the credibility of a recent investigation into road contracts awarded by the Ministry of Roads and Highways, arguing that the process mirrored what the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had once condemned as “clearing agent”.
“Clearly, the reset agenda has not affected the clearing agent business at all,” Nana Akomea added in an interview with THE CUSTODIAN. .
The former Managing Director of Intercity STC made the comments following an announcement by Minister for Government Communications and presidential spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, regarding the outcome of an investigation into allegations raised by investigative journalism outlet, The Fourth Estate.
The Fourth Estate had published findings alleging widespread sole-sourcing of road contracts, inflated contract values, questionable purchases of luxury vehicles and irregular allocation of funds for head office renovations within the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
Consequently, Kwakye Ofosu recently informed the public that the Presidency tasked one of its staff members to lead a team to investigate the allegations and that the team subsequently found no wrongdoing in the award and execution of the contracts.
Responding to the findings, Nana Akomai said the development reminded him of investigations conducted under the previous Akufo-Addo administration, where some government officials and institutions were similarly cleared of allegations of corruption or misconduct.
He noted that at the time, President Mahama and the NDC strongly rejected such investigative reports, describing them as self-serving and lacking credibility.
Nana Akomea recalled that the opposition party, led by the candidate Mahama and Kwakye Ofosu, frequently referred to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a “chief clearing agent” for allegedly using state mechanisms to shield appointees from accountability.
“The same thing is being done today,” Nana Akomea argued, pointing out that allegations against appointees of President John Dramani Mahama were being investigated by individuals appointed by the President himself, who subsequently exonerate the officials involved.
The former NPP Director of Communications also criticized the government for what he described as a contradiction between its promises of reform and its handling of accountability issues.
