Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has issued a public apology on behalf of the party and the government following the controversial dollar gift incident involving the acting CEO of Goldbod, Mr Sammy Gyamfi.
The incident, which occurred on Saturday, 11 May, and has since gone viral on social media, shows Mr Gyamfi handing dollars to a self-styled preacher, Nana Agradaa, after a brief exchange.
The footage sparked public backlash and reignited conversations about ethical leadership.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Tuesday, 13 May, Mr Gbande admitted that while Mr Gyamfi’s actions were not unlawful, they were inappropriate given his status and the sensitivity of the political landscape.
“At this point, I would like to align myself with a number of reasonable Ghanaians who say, ‘Okay, it should never have happened, it shouldn’t happen again.’ He hasn’t broken the law, but we think that because of where he is, it shouldn’t have happened,” Mr Gbande said.
He noted that although the gesture may have been well-intentioned, its execution did not resonate well with the public. “That gesture, even though it was of good intention, didn’t sit well with a lot of people. I think they are right, and we take responsibility and join our colleague to still apologise to the people of Ghana. It will never happen again. We would keep learning,” he added.
However, Mr Gbande, who’s also a presidential staffer, criticised the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for what he described as hypocritical criticism, questioning their moral authority on matters of corruption.
“It doesn’t give anybody from the NPP the audacity to sit on TV and want to criticise this matter because they don’t have any moral credibility as far as corruption-related offences are concerned. They themselves represent corruption,” he asserted.
The NDC’s apology comes amidst growing calls from civil society and political observers for accountability and discipline in political office, especially in the lead-up to the 2024 general elections.
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