The member of parliament for Abura Asebu- Kwamankese, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has rejected claims that President John Dramani Mahama influenced the award of the Damang Mine lease to Engineers & Planners (E&P), insisting that the President rather stayed away from the entire decision-making process because of his brother’s involvement in the company.

According to him, President Mahama deliberately recused himself from Cabinet discussions on the matter to avoid any conflict of interest linked to businessman Ibrahim Mahama and E&P.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Sunday, May 18, 2026, the Abura Asebu-Kwamankese MP stated that the President was in fact “the biggest stumbling block” to E&P’s acquisition of the concession.

“If you say that the President handed over to his brother, I would even agree that the President was the biggest stumbling block to E&P’s acquisition of the Damang Mine,” he said.

Felix Kwakye Ofosu explained that President Mahama did not participate in the Cabinet meeting where the Damang Mine lease issue was discussed.

“At the Cabinet meeting that considered that particular matter of the Damang mining lease, the President recused himself. He did not sit in that meeting,” he disclosed.

He indicated that the President’s decision was guided by ethical considerations and the need to avoid public perception that he was influencing a process involving a company linked to his brother.

“Because he believed that it was an ethical thing to do, because we did not want the situation where it would appear that he was superintending the decision-making involving an entity that his brother had an interest in,” he explained.

According to him the Vice President chaired the meeting after President Mahama stepped aside.

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He added that Cabinet was briefed by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources on the impending expiration of the Damang mining lease and government’s decision not to renew it under the previous arrangement.

Felix Kwakye Ofosu further noted that Cabinet insisted on a competitive bidding process instead of handing over the lease directly to E&P.

“We could simply have handed over to E&P without any competitive process, but Cabinet insisted that the competitive process be used,” he stressed.

He added that the committee tasked with overseeing the process later explained publicly why some companies qualified while others failed.

According to him, President Mahama consistently stayed away from deliberations on the matter and remained bound by the collective decisions taken by Cabinet.

“The President was not part of the decision-making and did not stampede the process,” he maintained.

Felix Kwakye Ofosu also stated that Parliament would still have the opportunity to scrutinise the lease agreement during the ratification stage.

He further defended the integrity of Cabinet deliberations, saying ministers freely expressed differing opinions during discussions.

“The debate at Cabinet that day was rigorous. People voiced their views frankly, without fear or favour. There was no rubber-stamp decision at that place,” he added.

ANAS/EB

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