A letter penned by Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the former Co-Chair of the 2016 Presidential Transition Team, has resurfaced online, sparking renewed discussions about political transitions and recruitment.

Dated December 17, 2016, the letter was addressed to Julius Debrah, who was then the Chief of Staff.

It called for an immediate halt to the recruitment for key government positions, such as the Government Statistician, senior staff at the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO), and other senior roles within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

The letter was brought to the public's attention by Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the Member of Parliament for South Dayi, who shared it on December 29, 2024.

Dafeamekpor highlighted the perceived inconsistency in current practices, stating, “On December 17, 2016, Hon. Yaw Osafo-Maafo sent this letter to the then Chief of Staff. He exuded power in this letter. Today, the same group of people are recruiting individuals to occupy senior public servant positions every day since losing the elections on December 7, 2024. Yet, when you raise the contents of this letter by Hon. Osafo-Maafo with them, they offer excuses.”

The Transition Team of the President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has expressed strong reservations about the ongoing last-minute recruitments, payments, and administrative decisions made by the outgoing New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

This controversy arose from an agreement reached during the second meeting of the joint Transition Team on December 13, 2024, which mandated prior consultation with the team before proceeding with such actions.

On December 17, 2024, the Transition Team released a statement accusing the outgoing government of violating this agreement and continuing unauthorized activities that disrupt the transition process.

The statement also cautioned that all unauthorized payments, recruitments, transfers, and promotions, some of which allegedly involved retroactive approvals, would be reversed once the new administration assumes office.

Read the post below:

On Dec, 17th 2016, the Hon Yaw Osafo Marfo sent this letter to the then CoS. He exuded power in this letter. Today, the same set of people are recruiting people to occupy senior Public servant portfolios everyday since losing the Elections on Dec 7th yet when you raise the… pic.twitter.com/nR7zuP6gws

— Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Esq. MP. (@etsedafeamekpor) December 29, 2024