The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman of Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who has portrayed himself as a man of probity and accountability in opposition, is apparently refusing to account for his stewardship in government.
The self-styled anti-corruption crusader and Minister for Foreign Affairs who promised to retrieve an imaginary $21 billion supposedly looted by appointees of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government through ORAL is now caught in the accountability web, facing credibility crisis over the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa following xenophobic attacks in that country.
This is after the Minority in Parliament exposed a GH¢16.4 million unreconciled gap in his account of some GH¢49,721,786 million government reportedly spent on the evacuees.
For instance, the Minority accused the Mr. Ablakwa of failing to fully explain how over GH¢27 million was used to charter three flights from South Africa after industry players argued the amount should not be more GH¢14 million.
Consequently, the Minority Caucus in Parliament has called for the immediate resignation of the Foreign Affairs Minister over the alleged irregularities surrounding the reported expenditure.
Addressing a news conference on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Samuel. A. Jinapor, challenged President John Dramani Mahama to dismiss the minister if he refuses to step down.
The revelations, he stated, have undermined public confidence in the Minister’s stewardship and brought his office into disrepute.
The Minority submitted that the minister’s continued leadership of the Ministry has become untenable in light of the questions surrounding the expenditure.
According to the group, its scrutiny of the Ministry’s records, reinforced by independent media investigations, have exposed serious anomalies and unresolved questions about resettlement and allowance payments to the evacuees.
The Caucus also questioned the exorbitant flight costs for which adequate supporting documentation remained outstanding.
The Minority therefore reiterated its demand for a comprehensive independent audit of the exercise and full accountability for the funds committed to it.
The caucus maintained that the scale of the allegations warranted an independent audit by an internationally reputable accounting firm.
Code of conduct
Citing President Manama’s Code of Conduct, the Minority argued that Ministers must accept responsibility where their leadership results in significant failures, corruption or a breach of public trust.
The Caucus served notice that should the Minister remain in office, it would pursue the available constitutional and parliamentary avenues to hold him accountable, including initiating the process for a vote of censure.
GH¢49.7 million expenditure controversy
The controversy centres on the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa following concerns about their safety.
According to the Minority, it supported the evacuation exercise because it considered the protection and safe return of Ghanaian nationals a national responsibility.
However, it said that support was based on the expectation that the public funds committed to the operation would be properly spent and fully accounted for.
The GH¢49,721,786 expenditure has since become the focus of the opposition’s scrutiny, with the Minority questioning whether the records accurately reflect the payments made during the operation.
Mr. Jinapor who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo explained that the caucus submitted a request under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), seeking an itemised account of the evacuation expenditure and the supporting documents.
The Ministry responded by providing documents, which the Minority said it examined and compared with the figures and assurances the minister had presented publicly.
According to the caucus, the review uncovered discrepancies between the minister’s claims and what the payment registers appeared to establish.
It also alleged that the records contained duplicate entries, gaps in supporting documentation and expenditure items requiring further explanation.
The Minority said this explained why it subsequently brought the concerns to public attention and called for an independent audit.
It added that even though Mr. Ablakwa later appeared in the media to defend the Ministry’s handling of the exercise, his explanations did not resolve the questions it had raised.
The caucus indicated that further inquiries have revealed additional anomalies and contradictions that, in its view, strengthen the case for an independent examination of the entire evacuation expenditure.
Evacuees’ allowances
The controversy has widened following media investigations that raised questions about whether some evacuees received the allowances they were entitled to during the operation.
At the new conference, the Minority cited reports of beneficiaries allegedly failing to receive payments that were recorded in the relevant documents as having been made.
It also referred to alleged duplicate entries, payment records without beneficiaries’ signatures and expenditure for which supporting receipts were reportedly unavailable.
These claims have intensified calls for a detailed reconciliation of the payment records against the amounts actually received by individual evacuees.
The Minority argued that an independent audit should establish whether the records are accurate, whether all payments were properly authorised and whether public funds were used for their intended purpose.
Minority denies paying evacuees to attack government
Mr. Jinapor also rejected allegations reportedly made at a separate news conference by some individuals who identified themselves as evacuees and claimed that the Minority had paid members of their group to speak against the government.
He insisted that the caucus had neither paid nor persuaded any evacuee to make statements against the administration.
According to the Ranking Member, some of the evacuees decided to speak voluntarily after learning what they believed they should have received compared with what they actually received.
The Minority maintained that the substance of the allegations should be investigated on their merits rather than dismissed on the basis of claims about the political motivations of those raising concerns.
Stern warning to evacuees
The Minority also questioned reports that the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria had issued a stern warning to evacuees against speaking to the media about the matter.
The caucus challenged the Ministry and the High Commission to explain the alleged warning, arguing that individuals who participated in the evacuation should be able to raise legitimate concerns about payments without intimidation.
Mr. Jinapor further claimed that some evacuees who attended the news conference had acknowledged that they did not receive the amounts the Ministry indicated they had been paid, including sums they were allegedly recorded as having signed for.
The claims concerning the High Commission, the payment records and the alleged treatment of evacuees, the Minority insisted, require independent verification and responses from the institutions concerned.
Ablakwa accused of supervising alleged irregularities
The Minority has directed its strongest criticism at Mr. Ablakwa, arguing that his position as Foreign Affairs Minister makes him accountable for the administration and oversight of the evacuation exercise.
Mr. Jinapor accused the minister of having supervised or presided over circumstances involving alleged financial irregularities, possible misapplication of public funds and suspected fraud.
