The Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of using its “Operation Recover All Loot” (ORAL) campaign as a political tool to win support ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Speaking in an interview, Mr Jinapor, who also serves as the ranking member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said corruption has often been used as a key campaign issue by opposition parties seeking power.

“I want to say that we should all be careful when we are in opposition,” he said, explaining that in Ghana’s political cycle, corruption tends to dominate public debate during election periods.

According to him, “the issue of corruption becomes very high, and you have political actors in the opposition ratchet up corruption and make corruption such a major issue.”

He said that such messaging can easily influence voters. “To seize the attention of the population with a very sensitive matter like corruption… it’s mostly very easy,” he said, adding that opposition parties often amplify the issue as they campaign for power.

Mr Jinapor said the NDC’s ORAL campaign became a central message in the lead-up to the 2024 elections. “Operation Recover All Loot was almost like the topmost commitment that the opposition NDC made to the Ghanaian people,” he stated.

He acknowledged the party’s communication strategy, saying the NDC “did a very good job… in terms of the public relations, in terms of the communication, and in terms of the persuasion.”

However, he said that the claims made during the campaign have not been backed by evidence since the party assumed office. The NDC had alleged widespread corruption under former President Nana Akufo-Addo, including claims of “state capture” and large-scale looting.

“Fast forward, they are in government… and you will agree, I believe most Ghanaians will attest to it, there have not been any major exposés, prosecution, or conviction… which suggests that this grand looting and state capture truly did happen,” he said.

He added that even ongoing legal actions remain limited. “Even in terms of the prosecution, you don’t have any prosecution going on which will warrant the conclusion of some grand looting,” he stated.

Mr Jinapor said the situation raises questions about the credibility of the campaign.

“One is almost tempted to come to the conclusion that it was all propaganda and deception and public relations just to hoodwink people to vote for them,” he said.

He urged a more structured and consistent approach to tackling corruption. According to him, the country must “fight corruption with the correct tools… and not use corruption as a tool to win votes.”