The Deputy National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has delivered a scathing critique of his party’s understanding and handling of the Operation Retrieve All Looted Assets (ORAL) project.
He described the party’s approach as “daft” and reflective of a failure to grasp basic legal principles.
“ORAL is an operation, a project not an institution,” he emphasized, questioning why the NPP has raised concerns about the legitimacy and legality of the initiative.
“My party, the NPP, can be so daft sometimes. This is what happens when you appoint elements who don’t understand anything and don’t read. ORAL is not an institution for you to be raising issues about its legality and legitimacy,” he lamented.
The deputy organizer pointed out that Ghana’s Constitution allows for citizen involvement in holding individuals accountable for wrongdoing, such as civil arrests.
“The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana has even guaranteed civil arrests. You and I, if we know that someone has stolen something belonging to the state, are empowered by the laws of Ghana to conduct an arrest, take the person to the police station, and provide evidence to establish culpability. That does not make us the police.”
He drew parallels between ORAL’s mandate and the constitutional provision for civil action, asserting that the project operates within legal bounds.
He criticized members of the NPP for questioning the operation without proper understanding, “If ORAL were transitioning into a criminal investigation institution, then we would have had moral grounds to question its legality. But that’s not the case.”
He didn’t hold back on criticizing the leadership approach within the NPP, accusing the party of sidelining intellectuals and technocrats in favor of less capable individuals.
“This is what happens when you have a political party that comes to power, forgets they have the men, ignores people from academia and technocrats, and brings in elements who don’t read or understand governance,” he stated.
“Their plan is to wake up, sit in a Land Cruiser, drive to the office, get caught by the cameras, and have sycophants post their pictures on social media, praising them with fancy titles. That was the administration, and that is why we are in this situation,”.
He called for a reassessment of the NPP’s priorities and approach to governance.
NPP is so daft on ORAL– Deputy national youth organizer of the NPP pic.twitter.com/B2WYIfnCgw
— Popo🇰🇼🇬🇭 (@Popony_J) January 16, 2025
