Ranking Member on Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Samuel Atta Mills, has dismissed concerns over the heated exchanges between Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George and PAC Chairperson Abena Osei-Asare during proceedings on May 18, 2026.

Speaking on JoyNews on May 19, 2026, Atta Mills described the confrontation as “friendly fire,” insisting that the two politicians share a good relationship despite their public disagreements.

“Confrontation could sometimes be concerning, but sometimes not really. The two of them are friends. The two of them are highly opinionated. And what happened yesterday, you could see that each one of them wanted to have the last word,” he stated.

According to him, there was no cause for alarm as the exchanges were not personal attacks but rather part of intense parliamentary scrutiny.

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“Look, this is just friendly fire. The two of them know themselves very well. And that’s how it is,” he said.

Atta Mills revealed that after the cameras were turned off, both Sam George and Abena Osei-Asare were seen interacting cordially.

“If you observed yesterday, after the cameras were out, they were together, conversing and talking about so many things. This is not personal,” he explained.

The PAC session reportedly focused on concerns surrounding the payment of approximately $14 million to a company allegedly without visible deliverables, while an additional request of GH¢708 million had also been made for similar work.

“How can you pay about 14 million US dollars to a company that has nothing to show? And at the same time, you’re going to ask for 708 million Ghana cedis to do the same thing that you collected the dollars for?” he questioned.

Atta Mills further indicated that officials within the ministry had admitted uncertainty over how some transactions were handled, prompting Sam George to explain the circumstances while Abena Osei-Asare sought clarification during the proceedings.

He also noted that this was not the first time the two lawmakers had clashed publicly at the PAC.

Recalling a previous parliamentary encounter, he said the roles had simply reversed.

“You remember the last parliament when the tables were turned. It was Honorable Sam George who questioned the head of the GRA about his age. It was Honorable Abena Asare who was trying to defend that. So now the tables have turned,” he recounted.

Atta Mills maintained that the exchange should not be interpreted as a sign of hostility between the two politicians.

“These are two politicians. The cameras are there and each one of them wanted to have his or her say. So there’s nothing to worry about,” he added.

VPO