Akufo-Addo protecting ‘Akyem Mafia’; lessening powers of Northerners - Isaac Adongo

Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bolgatanga Central Constituency, Isaac Adongo is of the view that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is not fair to Northerners in his first ministerial reshuffle in government.

He contends that the President seems to be protecting the ‘Akyem mafia’ and lessening the powers of northerners if the trend is carefully studied.

In the President’s first reshuffle, Mustapha Hamid has been moved to Zongo and Inner City Development Ministry and Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba who was Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection appointed as Ambassador-designate to Italy.

Hon. Kofi Adda, Member of Parliament (MP) for Navrongo constituency and former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, is now Minister for Aviation, Hon. Boniface Abubakar Saddique, Member of Parliament for Madina constituency and former Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development, is now Minister of State at the Office of the Vice President.

But reacting to the latest reshuffle on OKAY FM in an interview MyNewsGh.com monitored, Isaac Adongo said the President is not fair to Northerners in the reshuffle.

He said the President decided not to touch members of the “Akyem Mafia” but rather lessen the power of Northerners in his cabinet.

“Why didn’t the President touch any of the people in the Akyem Mafia? My brother who was Sanitation Minister has been made the Aviation Minister, Otiko Djaba has been moved from the Gender Ministry to Italy to go and pray for the country, and my brother who was information Minister has now been moved to the Zongo Ministry where their budgetary allocation is meager,” Adongo said in the interview.

He noted that the latest reshuffle will be detrimental to the development of Northern Ghana because for now, no Northerner occupies a position of influence where Members of Parliament (MP) could make demands from to help develop the North.

“Hitherto this period, if there is an issue in my constituency with regards to Gender, I would have contacted Otiko Djaba who understands our issues, If I need a borehole for my constituency, I would have contacted my brother Adda and he will understand that there was the need but now there is nothing of the sort because they are not occupying positions of influence,” he said.

Isaac Adongo noted that with the kind of hype surrounding the President’s reshuffle, he was expecting more than just a change in positions.