Nana B dismisses passport row as distraction from Ablakwa’s evacuation expenditure

New Patriotic Party (NPP) 2nd National Vice Chairman Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, has dismissed allegations that Bosome Freho MP Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh is pursuing a personal vendetta against Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over a passport dispute, insisting that the controversy is a distraction from questions about expenditure on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Nana B rejected claims by the Majority Caucus on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee that Asafo-Adjei’s criticism of the minister was linked to an alleged attempt to secure an exception to a presidential directive requiring certain former officeholders to surrender their service and diplomatic passports.

The Majority made the allegations at a press conference on Tuesday, claiming that Asafo-Adjei and Nana B had sought to persuade Ablakwa to allow the NPP official to retain his service passport despite the directive.

The caucus argued that the minister’s refusal to grant the alleged request could explain what it described as persistent personal attacks on him by Asafo-Adjei, which it said were being presented as parliamentary oversight.

It maintained that Nana B’s previous positions as NPP National Organiser and Board Chairman of the National Food Buffer Stock Company did not qualify him to hold a service passport.

However, Nana B disputed that account, describing the Majority’s explanation as weak, diversionary and an attempt to deflect attention from the expenditure questions raised by Asafo-Adjei.

He said he had only possessed a service passport and had surrendered it in compliance with the directive issued by President John Dramani Mahama, as communicated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to Nana B, he subsequently requested a formal letter from the Ministry to notify embassies where his service passport contained valid visas, allowing the visas to be transferred to his ordinary passport.

He said Ablakwa personally asked him to get Asafo-Adjei to follow up on the letter, which he did. However, after one visit, Asafo-Adjei was informed that the letter was not ready, prompting Nana B to abandon the process and apply for new visas.

Nana B therefore rejected the suggestion that Asafo-Adjei had sought a favour on his behalf, maintaining that the MP followed up on the matter at the minister’s request.

He also denied asking to retain the service passport, arguing that such a request would have been unreasonable given his position as a national executive of the opposition party.

Nana B further criticised the Majority for displaying the biodata page of his service passport, which he said remained in the custody of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The exchange comes amid a dispute between the Majority and Minority caucuses over the GH¢49.72 million reportedly spent on evacuating 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa following xenophobic attacks.

On October 11, Asafo-Adjei, the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and NPP MP for Bosome Freho, raised concerns about discrepancies he said he had identified in documents supplied by the Ministry in response to a Right to Information request.

The Minority subsequently called for an independent audit, estimating that approximately GH¢16.4 million in expenditure required further reconciliation.

Among the issues raised were alleged discrepancies in registers for reintegration grants and transport allowances, as well as questions concerning flight records and payments relating to evacuees.

The Majority, however, rejected the allegations at its October 13 press conference, insisting that the expenditure was fully accounted for and supported by documentation submitted by the Ministry.

The Chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, said the committee had received and scrutinised a report from the Ministry, including records covering the 1,964 evacuees and documentation for flights, transportation, feeding, accommodation and other logistical expenses.

The Majority also defended the handling of the evacuation exercise and accused the Minority of making baseless claims against the minister.

In his response, Nana B maintained that the passport controversy had no bearing on the questions raised about the evacuation expenditure.

He accused the Majority of attempting to shield Ablakwa from scrutiny and urged the caucus to focus on the alleged inconsistencies in the financial records rather than questioning Asafo-Adjei’s motives.

Nana B also invoked President Mahama’s commitment to accountability, calling on the Majority to ensure that the Foreign Affairs Minister addressed the concerns raised by the Minority.

“No amount of propaganda can erase the unaccounted monies spent by Okudzeto Ablakwa,” Nana B said.

The minister has previously said he is prepared to account for the expenditure, while the Majority maintains that the funds are fully supported by records.