Former Presidential Legal Adviser Kow Essuman has challenged the Mahama administration to publish the Presidency’s 2024 staffing report, saying the government’s silence on the issue raises serious transparency concerns.

Responding to Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Mr Essuman accused the government of repeatedly avoiding what he described as the most important question in the ongoing controversy over staffing and compensation at the Presidency.

“Where is the 2024 staffing report?” he asked.

Mr Essuman noted that the current administration was responsible for submitting the report covering the year ending December 31, 2024, and argued that Ghanaians were entitled to know whether that obligation had been fulfilled.

He said the report was crucial because it would reveal the actual number of staff at the Presidency and help verify claims that the Mahama administration had reduced personnel while increasing compensation expenditure.

The former presidential adviser maintained that official records showed staffing at the Presidency had fallen to 921 by the end of 2023 and said the government should disclose the latest figures if it wished to rebut allegations of rising costs.

Mr Essuman accused the government of focusing on political attacks rather than providing documentary evidence to support its position.

He insisted that publication of the staffing report, together with detailed compensation figures, would allow Ghanaians to independently assess competing claims being made by both sides.

“The numbers do not lie,” he said, urging the government to release the relevant records and answer questions about staffing levels, compensation costs and unpaid benefits.