Prosecuting corrupt officials: Jane Opoku-Agyemang’s comment just a reminder – Asah Asante

Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, Dr. Asah Asante, has said that Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang’s comment on the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) government prosecuting corrupt officials is just a reminder of the tenets of good governance.

The running mate of John Dramani Mahama for the 2024 election, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, said corrupt government officials under the NPP administration will be prosecuted.

Addressing the rank and file of the NDC and other dignitaries during her outdooring as running mate to former President John Mahama, the former Minister of Education said prosecuting government officials was not a threat but rather a promise.

“Across the political divide, across social and professional groupings, among the youth, you hear of complaints and stories concerning state capture, where this government has chosen to use its power not in the broader interest of all Ghanaians but to favor a small clique. What is that?

“John and I have agreed that whoever has participated in the plunder of the state must be held accountable. This is not a threat; it is a promise, premised on the wishes of our citizens across the various political and social divides and hinged on the principle of accountability,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stated.

Speaking on the Morning Star show with Francis Abban on Thursday, Dr. Asante indicated that the statement by Mahama’s running mate was only to emphasize what good governance and democracy are about.

“It is a requirement in governance; it is one of the indicators of good governance and, by a larger extension, governance. You need leaders to be held accountable for the stewardship of their offices.

“If you read the preamble of the 1992 Constitution, it is evidently clear that we, the people of this country, believe in accountability. If you also appraise yourself about good governance, it is one of the tenets of good governance that leaders must be held accountable,” Dr. Asante stated.

“Of course, by a larger explanation, you are talking about democracy; it is one of the democratic rules that leaders will always be answerable to. So once somebody brings that to the fore, it is just a reminder of what we already know and that it exists. It is a function of governance, which is why she said that it is a promise, not a threat,” he added.