The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Hon Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s recent write-up on President Akufo-Addo’s use of luxurious private jet on foreign trips appears to have ruffled an aide of the President.
Presidential Staffer and Head of Social Media Team at the Presidency, Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, attacked Ablakwa describing him as an unrepentant liar using some very unsavoury words.
Ultra-luxurious Airbus Charter
The NDC MP, via a social media post on June 23, claimed “after pretending he was a changed man by flying commercial on his last two trips to the US and the UK,” the President “returned to his grossly insensitive and reckless ways of profligate traveling in ultra-luxurious charters.”
He alleged the trip is costing the country in excess of GHC4 million.
According to him, President Akufo-Addo ordered a top-of-the-range and most expensive aircraft— the Airbus ACJ319, registered as D-Alex for his recent trip to Belgium and Rwanda; “at a conservative bill of €480,000.00. The 480,000 Euros which is derived from 21 hours of total flight time plus other industry charges works out to some 4.1million Ghana Cedis at current exchange rate”.
Expensive Dental Chiselling Yet
But in a rather feisty denial posted on his Facebook wall, the Presidential Staffer stressed there was no way the President could have travelled to Belgium on a chartered private jet from Ghana, since he personally saw him board a commercial Air France aircraft.
Cheekily, he questioned whether the NDC MP was perhaps suggesting “the pilot stopped in midair for Akufo-Addo to use a parachute to jump off James Bond style onto a private jet flying by.
His post read in parts: “On Sunday at 7:30 pm, I Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, was at the Accra Kotoka International Aiport to see President Akufo-Addo and his team off. I saw Mr. President with my own eyes when he was boarding Air France and it took off.
“A baby with sharp teeth is always a baby with sharp teeth even after several expensive dental chiselling,” he added.
Jubilee House Rebuttal
Meanwhile, the Presidency has officially refuted the North Tongu MP’s claims describing them as “inaccurate”.
The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin in a statement said “these claims by the North Tongu MP are not accurate, and as a Member of Parliament, I was hoping he would have been factual and truthful in his claims, and resisted the urge to engage in propaganda,” Mr Arhin stated, adding the President travelled to Belgium onboard an Air France Commercial Flight (AF0584).
Source: peacefmonline.com
