By Belinda Sefakor Dzattah
Communication Officer, NDC New Jersey Branch
November 10, 2026
The NPP cannot spend eight years in power, leave serious questions unanswered and then turn around to blame President John Dramani Mahama for problems reportedly dating back to its own administration. That is political hypocrisy at its highest level.
Preliminary findings disclosed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggest that an alleged syndicate involved in the irregular issuance of Ghanaian service passports was operating as far back as 2023, during the Akufo-Addo administration. This raises a critical question: What oversight measures were in place to prevent such activities, and why were they not detected earlier?
President Mahama’s government has responded with action. The Ministry has announced the cancellation of ten irregularly issued service passports, the interdiction of two officials and the referral of the matter to the Ghana Police Service for investigation. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa deserves credit for pursuing the allegations and taking steps to address the problem.
A government that investigates suspected wrongdoing should not automatically be blamed for creating it. The NPP Minority has raised allegations involving diplomatic and service passports, but the Ministry maintains that its preliminary findings concern service passports and have not established the alleged sale of diplomatic passports. Such serious claims must be supported by credible evidence.
The Mahama administration has also pursued improvements to passport services, including chip-embedded passports, electronic tracking, additional application centres and reduced fees. These measures reflect efforts to modernise the system and make passport services more accessible to Ghanaians.
The NPP’s criticism must therefore be considered alongside questions about the oversight exercised during its own administration. The ongoing investigation should establish when the alleged misconduct began, how it occurred and who was responsible.
President Mahama’s administration has taken steps to confront the controversy. The NPP must now confront the questions surrounding its own record.
Political power may change hands, but history cannot be rewritten.
