Public criticism over the decision to name Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Ocloo as the country's best-performing minister has continued to grow following recent flooding incidents in parts of Accra.

The controversy deepened after the Presidency distanced itself from the awards, stressing that the recognition was the work of a private organisation and not an official government assessment of ministerial performance.

Speaking on JoyNews' PM Express Business Edition on Monday, Founder and Executive Chairman of Big Events Ghana, Prince Mackay, defended the decision and insisted that the award was based on a clearly defined assessment period that preceded the recent flooding crisis.

According to him, critics have overlooked the timeline used for the evaluation.

"Let me narrow it down to Linda Ocloo, whom all of you are interested in knowing about," he said.

He explained that the awards covered performance between 2025 and May 2026 and were not intended to assess events that occurred after the evaluation period had ended.

"Let me underline, or let me mention the year under review for doing these awards. We stated categorically clear that the year under review was 2025 to May of 2026, so we look at the work that they have done within the space and not now or in June, when the rains are flooded, that we have this crisis that we are all complaining about, the fact that she has not done anything to deserve the award."

Prince Mackay argued that the public reaction has been heavily influenced by the recent floods, making it difficult for many people to separate current events from the period under review.

He maintained that the assessment considered actions taken by the Greater Accra Regional Minister from the beginning of her tenure.

"The timelines that we looked at for this award were within the period of January 2025 and May 2026."

Defending the minister's record, he pointed to what he described as her sustained engagement on issues affecting the capital, particularly efforts to address structures built on waterways and Ramsar sites.

"If you look at our honourable minister, Greater Accra Regional Minister, from day one, she has been engaging, making sure that she will light up Accra, making sure that those who have built on Ramsay sites should pull them down."

He said the minister demonstrated firmness in enforcing regulations, even when influential people were affected.

"And these have stopped influential people who had built on such sites. But she was tough enough as a woman; she was so tough to ensure that she did what she had to do."

Prince Mackay suggested that public opinion might have been different had the recent flooding not occurred.

"Had they not been for the race that just came. I'm not sure that the story will be as it is. We are seeing it right now."

His comments come amid growing debate over the credibility of the awards and whether recognition of public officials should take into account unfolding events that shape public perception.

Despite the criticism, the organisers insist the award was based strictly on the assessment criteria and the performance period announced before the recent floods changed the national conversation.