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Tamale, Ghana – Executive Director of Alliance for Social Equity and Publc Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson, has accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of turning the presidential villa into wedding grounds.
Over the weekend, social media especially Facebook was awashed with pictures of Edwina Nana Dokua, one of the daughters of President Akufo-Addo getting married to the son of Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, CEO of GIHOC, Kwabena Jumah at the presidential villa.
According to Mr Thompson, “Even though there exits no specific regulations on the use of the Presidential Villa by Presidents, using the venue for such a private/personal family function of the President puts that ceremony at the same pedigree with events like the State Dinners organized for Prince Philip or Barack Obama or other Presidents when they visited Ghana and that is not only unacceptable and demeaning of the seat of Government, it also totally undermines our State Protocol system and could create a diplomatic mishap for Ghana in future.
Mr Thompson said this in a write-up posted on his Facebook timeline on Monday October 11, 2021.
Mensah Thompson of ASEPA writes..
*GHANA’s PRESIDENTIAL VILLA TURNED WEDDING GROUNDS CONSTITUTES AN ABUSE OF PUBLIC OFFICE BY THE PRESIDENT*
Folks since the weekend pictures have been flowing on social media over a supposed traditional marriage ceremony between the President’s daughter and the son of former KMA boss Maxwel Kofi Jumah .
Whiles we are happy that the first gentleman of land and the first family are giving out their daughter’s hand in marriage, we are particularly concerned that the event took place at the Presidential Villa, the seat of Government of the Republic of Ghana.
The Presidential Villa is officially noted to hosts events such as dinner parties for State Visits by Foreign Leaders and Diplomats, it also hosts official ball/gala for powerful local and international delegations who call on the Head of State, Independence Day dinners for attending foreign leaders etc
We do not know which of the above official state functions categories the traditional wedding ceremony of the President’s daughter falls under!
Even though there exits no specific regulations on the use of the Presidential Villa by Presidents, using the venue for such a private/personal family function of the President puts that ceremony at the same pedigree with events like the State Dinners organized for Prince Philip or Barack Obama or other Presidents when they visited Ghana and that is not only unacceptable and demeaning of the seat of Government, it also totally undermines our State Protocol system and could create a diplomatic mishap for Ghana in future.
Again every activity that takes place at the Presidential Villa including all State banquets are funded by the State.
How sure are we that a Private ceremony for the marriage of the President daughter to another man taking place at our Presidential Villa is not funded by our taxes??
Ofcourse we want the best for the first family and we are happy for them as they celebrate the matrimony of their daughter, but we cannot sacrifice that sanctity of our Presidential Villa for the pleasures of the President’s daughter!!
If you ask me, this ceremony could have taken place any where else in any of the luxurious hotels or the President’s private residence or many of the luxurious properties owned by the President’s relatives across the city.
…and just like the renting of the Luxurious jet, we demand answers from Government on why the seat of Government of the Republic of Ghana has now been reduced to a wedding grounds for the President’s family members!!
We hope this question would be one of the many questions that would be filed in Parliament as soon it resumes from recess!!!
Mensah Thompson
Executive Director,ASEPA
By SavannahNewsOnline.Com/Joseph Ziem
