The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is defending the essence of the botched Agyapa Royalties deal.

The party’s Director of Communication believes that contrary to critics’ accusations that it would take away control of Ghana’s mineral resources, there was nothing shady about the arrangement.

Speaking on Newsfile, IMANI Vice President Bright Simons criticized the arrangement, stating that it could have placed the country's future in jeopardy.

He emphasised the need for the government to clearly state whether it has definitively abandoned the idea.

“The issue is not just about the $12 million spent, we think three times more will be spent if this process continues to the end because you have to now pay underwriters and investment bankers. And for that reason, and given the fact that we think it's incredibly bad, the government must formally tell us they’ve stopped pursuing Agyapa.”

But Richard Ahiagbah says there was nothing untoward about the move.

"There is nothing criminal about it and that is why I say Bright Simon's position is conjecture. Because you are trying to impugn motive on something that has not happened," he said on JoyNews.

• Read also: Government must tell us that it has stopped pursuing Agyapa – Bright Simons

According to the NPP spokesperson, the special purpose vehicle was a creation with had the potential to rake in benefits to the country if allowed roll out.

“It is a complex abstract concept to try to create value for this country. Not a lot of people understand what Agyapa is. So it is easy to leverage that confusion and want to extract political value out of it and that is what Sammy [NDC Communications Officer] is doing,” he added.