The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has thrown its full support behind Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s demand for answers over the reported GH¢22 billion losses involving the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod).
The party says it will back the Minority Caucus in Parliament as it presses for a full and transparent account of the reported losses and the circumstances surrounding them.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, August 25, NPP National Organiser Henry Nana Boakye said there was no division within the party over the matter, stressing that the NPP stood firmly behind the Minority.
“We are fully behind the Minority. On behalf of the entire New Patriotic Party, there is no confusion anywhere. We are fully behind the mighty Minority,” he said.
Nana Boakye said the party’s backing extends to all members of the Minority Caucus led by Afenyo-Markin as they use parliamentary processes to scrutinise the reported losses.
He said the NPP supports the questions being raised by the Minority and its demand for accountability from GoldBod, particularly over how the state institution tasked with buying and protecting Ghana’s gold could have incurred losses of such magnitude.
“We back their questions, we back their scrutiny, we back their demand for a full, transparent account of how a state institution charged with buying and protecting Ghana’s gold ended up presiding over such huge losses of this magnitude.”
The NPP National Organiser rejected attempts to frame the matter purely as a political dispute, arguing that the use of public resources makes accountability a national obligation.
“This is not partisan politics. This is a national duty,” he said.
He further maintained that public officials and institutions must account to Ghanaians for the resources entrusted to them.
“Whoever governs this country is answerable to the people who elected them. They are answerable to every dollar of the people’s money that passes through their hands,” he said.
Nana Boakye assured the Minority that the party would continue to support its efforts until all outstanding questions were addressed.
“We are not backing off, not now, not tomorrow, not until every question is answered in full and in public and under proper scrutiny,” he said.
He urged Afenyo-Markin and members of the Minority Caucus to deploy every parliamentary mechanism available to pursue the matter, including questions on the floor, committee hearings, requests for documents, order papers and points of order.
“Use every relevant law in the books, every question on the floor of Parliament, every committee hearing, every request for documents, every order paper, every point of order,” he said.
He also encouraged the Minority to make full use of Parliament’s Standing Orders to compel the necessary scrutiny.
According to Nana Boakye, Parliament’s ultimate responsibility is to protect the interests of Ghanaians and ensure that public institutions are held to account.
“The Parliament belongs to the people of Ghana, not to the convenience of whoever is in the office,” he said.
Beyond Parliament, he called on the Minority to take the issue to the public and ensure that Ghanaians are fully informed about the concerns being raised.
“Fight for the people of Ghana in the court of public opinion as well. Fight until the Ghanaian people receive all the answers they deserve,” he said.
The NPP’s position comes amid an escalating public dispute between the Minority and GoldBod Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi over responsibility for the reported losses.
Nana Boakye said the party would remain vigilant as the Minority pursues the matter, while urging Ghanaians to take an active interest in the issue and demand answers on the reported GH¢22 billion loss.
