The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has stated that the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) exoneration of former President John Dramani Mahama in the Airbus scandal, has provided the National Democratic Congress (NDC) with significant leverage as the December general elections approach.

The OSP had identified Mr Mahama as Government Official 1 (GO1) in the Airbus Scandal but concluded that he played no role in any illicit activities related to the case.

According to Mr Ayariga, this conclusion aligns with the NDC’s long-standing position that Mahama was innocent of the allegations against him.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, August 8, the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, confirmed that Mr Mahama’s brother, Samuel Mahama, was identified as Intermediary 5 in the scandal.

Despite these identifications, the OSP found no evidence of corruption or wrongdoing by the former president.

In an interview with Channel One TV on Saturday, August 10, Mahama Ayariga stated that the NDC was pleased and satisfied with the OSP’s thorough investigations and its findings.

He emphasised that the exoneration not only clears Mahama’s name but also strengthens the party’s position as it heads into the crucial December polls.

Mr Ayariga noted that the OSP’s findings provide the NDC with an opportunity to present itself as a party committed to transparency and accountability.

The former Youth and Sports Minister argued that the party could now better communicate to Ghanaians that, if given the mandate, it would be more effective in combating corruption than the current administration.

The Bawku Central MP also highlighted that the OSP’s conclusion has helped to dispel the negative perception created by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) regarding Mr Mahama’s involvement in the scandal.

He asserted that the truth has now come to light, and this will resonate with voters who are concerned about integrity in leadership.

Mr Ayariga expressed confidence that the NDC would use this momentum to strengthen its campaign, focusing on its commitment to good governance and the fight against corruption as key pillars of its platform.

“It is good that the OSP has gone through the investigation. It is good that they have concluded the matter. Naturally, we in the NDC will be happy because he (Mahama) is the flagbearer of our party. We are going into a crucial election in which corruption is one of the key issues in this electioneering campaign."

“We in the NDC have consistently accused Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government in which Bawumia is the vice president of multiple scandals that we suspect were leading to corruption, etc. and we had this hanging over our head because there was also speculation over there about the airbus scandal.”

“On several occasions NPP communicators anytime they are discussing corruption of NPP also point to Airbus as their example of a scandal under the NDC in which they said John Dramani Mahama was also implicated. So to have the OSP come out at this crucial stage in the campaigning to publicly state that John Dramani Mahama was not in any way involved in any act of corruption I think that excites us.”

“We are happy, we are satisfied, and it gives us some mileage in our campaign as we seek to point out that we run a relatively cleaner government and if given the opportunity we will do a better job fighting corruption,” he stated.