Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of adopting double standards on accountability, insisting that the party must accept the same scrutiny it demanded of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
He said criticism of government decisions was a legitimate part of democratic governance and should not be dismissed as political hostility simply because the NDC was now in power.
In a Facebook post on Friday, October 30, the Effutu MP questioned what he described as the party’s changing attitude towards public scrutiny after spending eight years in opposition challenging the policies, appointments, contracts and expenditure of the Akufo-Addo administration.
“The NDC spent eight years teaching Ghanaians that questioning government was patriotism. Today, the same people appear offended that Ghanaians have taken those lessons seriously,” he wrote.
Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that the NDC had previously maintained that no government should be above scrutiny and that public officials must account for their decisions.
He questioned whether the party’s return to government had changed its position on those principles.
“So what has changed? Have the standards of accountability changed because the political party in power has changed? Or was scrutiny only acceptable when it was directed at the NPP?” he asked.
Criticism is not persecution
The Minority Leader accused some members of the governing party of responding to criticism by questioning the motives of those raising concerns, rather than addressing the issues themselves.
He said the NDC’s past public statements, interviews and press conferences remained available for Ghanaians to assess its position on accountability while in opposition.
“It is unreasonable to champion accountability for eight years and then treat it as an act of hostility when the same principle is applied to you,” he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin maintained that questioning government contracts, demanding transparency and assessing public expenditure were not personal attacks on public officials but essential elements of democratic oversight.
“Public office is not a personal possession; it is a public trust. Holding office does not grant anyone immunity from criticism. Questioning a contract is not a personal attack on the person who approved it. Demanding transparency is not an expression of hatred. Asking government to honour its promises is not an attempt to undermine it. It is simply democracy at work,” he stated.
Minority vows to maintain pressure
Mr Afenyo-Markin said the Minority would continue examining government documents, scrutinising contracts and questioning public spending, regardless of which political party was in power.
He said the opposition’s role was not simply to oppose the government but to ensure that public officials were held accountable for their decisions and that government promises were measured against actual performance.
“The Mighty Minority will continue to read the documents, examine the contracts, question public expenditure, and measure government promises against actual performance. Not because we are opposing the NDC for opposing sake, but because accountability must never depend on who occupies the Presidency,” he wrote.
He further insisted that the NDC could not apply one standard to the NPP while in opposition and expect a different one now that it controlled the government.
“If members of the NDC were right to demand accountability from the Akufo-Addo government, then they must be prepared to accept it now that they are in office,” he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin ended his post by pledging that the Minority would maintain its scrutiny of the government, arguing that the standards the NDC demanded while in opposition should equally apply to it in office.
“The standard members of the NDC demanded when they were in opposition should be the same standard they must live by, and we, the Mighty Minority, will not renege!!” he added.
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