Continue the insolence; you won't have power forever – Ablakwa tells Jinapor

“I treat you with respect. I am somebody’s son, I’m somebody’s father. You can just be so flippant and say the likes of you. I know power is intoxicating and you think that you will have this power forever, continue…”, the words of Member of Parliament for North Tongu to Deputy Chief of Staff Samuel Abu Jinapor Thursday evening after the former was angered by an utterance from Mr. Jinapor.

Mr. Ablakwa flipped when he was referred to by Mr. Jinapor as ‘the likes of’ when the latter was making reference to President Akufo-Addo’s speech to Ghanaians Thursday evening on the US defense deal that has sparked controversy in the country.

“We have to take issue with the front-line politicians who have sought to mislead the people in this blatant manner, and those who, for mischievous purposes, leaked the document destined for the scrutiny of Parliament prematurely to a section of the media, who then went on to describe it as a “secret document”, Akufo-Addo said in his address.

Dwelling on this point, Mr. Jinapor on Thursday’s edition of the ‘Good Evening Ghana’ show sought to explain that President Akufo-Addo by that comment was referring to persons like Mr. Ablakwa who will hide the truth from Ghanaians and portray the wrong picture as though government was trying to compromise the sovereignty and independence of the state.

“The President describes the likes of Okudzeto as mischievous politicians who seek to mislead the Ghanaian people because Okudzeto will not tell the Ghanaian people……. that this airforce base facility which the United States of America’s armed forces is to have access to pursuant to the 2018 agreement is a facility which was birthed by an understanding and an agreement reached between his government; President Mahama’s government and the United states has been in Ghana for the past five years and how was that agreement reached between the President Mahama government and the United States?”, Mr. Jinapor said.

Mr. Ablakwa, interjecting his submission expressed anger at the manner in which his colleague had addressed him. He would have none of it and demanded an outright apology.

“You will want to treat me with some respect on this programme. When I’m referring to you I don’t call you the likes of you. You want to go the way your president has gone tonight?, I will have none of that, I take a strong exception to that” he said.



Samuel Abu Jinapor subsequently apologized maintaining that his statements were not in any way targeted at disrespecting the MP.

“Let me apologise to him but I’m surprised Okudzeto thinks I’ll disrespect him, no disrespect here”, he said.

President Akufo-Addo on Thursday evening addressed the nation over what the controversial US-Ghana military deal which has sparked massive debate in the public for some weeks now.



The President expressed outrage at the opposition NDC’s recent outburst on the deal and described it as a kind of cynical manipulation by reckless self-seekers, who will be exposed and condemned by Ghanaians within the shortest possible time.

He, however, explained that Ghana has not offered a military base, and will not offer a military base to the United States, however, in consideration of challenges to maintaining peace, his government deems it prudent to continue the Co-operation Agreement already in existence.

I know power is intoxicating and you think that you will have this power forever, continue