Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin says it was premature of North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to have brought to the media the allegation surrounding President Akufo-Addo’s £15,000 per hour luxury jet trip.

According to him, if indeed Okudzeto Ablakwa had filed a question to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, and was waiting for his admission of same, publicising the information was totally unnecessary.

“I would have thought that for purpose of fairness, he would allow his question to be admitted and then the appropriate response from the relevant agency will be brought to Parliament.

“But for him to be going around trying to create a certain impression even before his question is admitted is quite unfortunate,” he said on Joy FM’s News Night, Monday, May 31.

Mr Markin says the act by the North Tongu MP is very characteristic of him; citing an earlier incident in which Ablakwa had allegedly leaked his resignation letter from the Appointments Committee to the media before the Speaker could have a word on it.

Meanwhile, the Effutu MP says “appropriately we should wait on the Speaker whether the question is even admissible then we can take it up from there.”

He added that “to be frank with you, I don’t think that he has any good basis for describing official travel for the President as being lavish.

“Because I’m not too sure that he has access to receipts of payments made and the basis of his comparison and what is making him come to a certain conclusion.”

In the meantime, Okudzeto Ablakwa has started an online petition demanding that President Akufo-Addo stops hiring luxury jets for international travels.

The petition, which in less than 24 hours after it was put up garnered over 1,300 signatures, is calling on the President to use the Ghana Airforce Falcon 900EX jet for his foreign travels instead.