The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has dismissed the Minority in Parliament’s call for the resignation of Lands Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, describing it as unfounded and politically motivated.

The comments follow accusations that the Lands Minister mismanaged the Barari DV lithium agreement, claiming he misled Parliament by defending the deal before it was later withdrawn over alleged inadequate stakeholder consultations.

According to the Minority, the developments undermine the Minister’s credibility and justify calls for his resignation.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Wednesday, December 17, the Ministry’s Media Relations Officer, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, said the Minority’s demands were "bereft of substance" and not grounded in facts.

He described the Minority’s demand as a "mere political distraction" that does not advance the national interest.

Mr Schandorf referenced earlier remarks by President John Mahama, stressing that while government welcomes criticism and feedback, such engagements must be based on facts and substance.

“In matters concerning our natural resources and governance as a whole, criticism is welcome. However, every form of criticism must be grounded in substance and fact. Unfortunately, this particular call does not have any of those. It has no legs to stand on,” he stated.

He explained that stakeholder consultations on the controversial Barari DV lithium agreement are still ongoing, with efforts underway to refine aspects of the deal.

“As we speak, stakeholder engagements are ongoing with a view to refining the tenets of the agreement. Even industry players, including Engineer Ken Ashigbey, have called for deeper stakeholder engagement.

If this process is ongoing, I find it difficult to understand why anyone would demand that the minister spearheading these efforts should step aside,” he added.