The Minority in Parliament has called on Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to resign over alleged financial irregularities in the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa, warning that it may initiate a vote of censure against him if he remains in office.
Abu Jinapor, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, made the call at a press conference on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, where the Minority demanded an independent audit into the evacuation exercise.
The Minority is questioning the management of the GH¢49.72 million reportedly spent on the evacuation, insisting that discrepancies in payment records and gaps in supporting documentation require further investigation.
According to Mr Jinapor, the Minority initially supported the evacuation exercise to ensure the safe return of Ghanaians who faced threats to their safety in South Africa.
“When our compatriots in South Africa faced threats to their safety and needed assistance to return home, the Minority supported the evacuation exercise,” he said.
“That support also carried an expectation that the resources committed to the exercise would be properly applied and fully accounted for.”
Mr Jinapor said the Minority subsequently invoked the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), to obtain an itemised account of the expenditure and supporting documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He explained that an examination of the documents provided by the Ministry revealed discrepancies between the Minister’s public statements and the payment records, including alleged duplicate entries, gaps in supporting documents and expenditure requiring further explanation.
“We brought these concerns to the attention of the public and called for an independent audit,” he said.
He added that further enquiries by the Minority, alongside independent media investigations, had uncovered additional concerns, including reports of evacuees who allegedly did not receive their allowances, payments recorded without signatures and expenditure for which receipts were unavailable.
“These further enquiries have uncovered additional grave anomalies and disturbing contradictions that deepen our suspicions about the handling of these public funds,” Mr Jinapor said.
The Ranking Member also rejected allegations that the Minority had paid some evacuees to speak against the government over the matter.
“Let me place on record that at no point in time did the Minority engage, pay and/or convince any of these evacuees to speak against the Government,” he stated.
He maintained that some evacuees had chosen to speak out voluntarily after learning of discrepancies between the amounts they received and what they were reportedly expected to have received.
Mr Jinapor further cited media reports that the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria had warned evacuees against speaking to the media, questioning the motive behind the alleged warning.
“If the Ministry and the High Commission have nothing to hide, why are they attempting to gag the evacuees?” he asked.
He also pointed to accounts from some evacuees who reportedly said they had not received the amounts the Ministry claimed to have paid them, despite entries indicating otherwise.
“There is no doubt that it is the Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who supervised and/or superintended these grand irregularities,” Mr Jinapor alleged.
He further claimed that the circumstances raised concerns about the possible misapplication of public funds and potential fraud.
However, the allegations require investigation and have not, by themselves, established criminal wrongdoing.
As part of its demands, the Minority reiterated its call for a comprehensive independent audit of the evacuation exercise by an internationally reputable accounting firm with a proven track record.
It also called on Mr Ablakwa to resign immediately, arguing that his handling of the exercise had brought his office into disrepute.
“Given the gravity of these revelations and in order to ensure an impartial investigation into the matter, we call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to resign immediately,” Mr Jinapor said.
He said the Minority was relying on Section 2.1(j) of President John Dramani Mahama’s 2025 Code of Conduct and Ethics for Political Appointees, which it cited as requiring resignation where a minister’s actions or leadership result in significant failure, corruption or a breach of public trust.
The Minority further urged President Mahama to terminate Mr Ablakwa’s appointment under Article 81(a) of the 1992 Constitution if the minister failed to resign.
“The President must demonstrate that the standards he has set for his appointees have consequences when public confidence in their stewardship has been seriously undermined,” he said.
The Minority warned that it would consider initiating parliamentary proceedings for a vote of censure against the Foreign Affairs Minister under Article 82 of the Constitution and Order 138 of Parliament’s Standing Orders if he remained in office.
The controversy follows public scrutiny of the evacuation exercise and the allowances reportedly paid to Ghanaians who returned from South Africa. The Minority says an independent audit is necessary to establish the full extent of the expenditure and determine whether public funds were properly accounted for.
