The Majority in Parliament has dismissed calls by the Minority for the removal of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, describing the demand as unjustified and lacking merit.

The Minority on Tuesday, January 20, called for Mr Ablakwa’s immediate dismissal, accusing him of incompetence and alleged diplomatic failures, including concerns surrounding the suspension of immigrant visa processing.

Responding to the claims, Chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, said the issues raised do not in any way justify the removal of the Foreign Affairs Minister.

He argued that decisions taken by foreign governments cannot be attributed to Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister.

“A decision taken by the President of the United States—how do we hold our Foreign Affairs Minister responsible for that? This is a minister who has been very active on the international front, engaging our partners on job creation and attracting investment into the country, and these efforts are yielding results,” Mr Vanderpuije stated.

He further addressed references by the Minority to Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), stressing that such matters fall squarely within the mandate of the Attorney General and should not be used as grounds to attack the Foreign Affairs Minister.

“The issue of ORAL is for the Attorney General to handle, and he has already indicated that the process is ongoing. Any activities linked to ORAL in relation to Hon. Ablakwa predate the assumption of office by the NDC government."

"All matters have been referred to the Attorney General, and any claims, including those relating to the alleged GH¢21 billion, will be determined by the courts,” he added.

Mr Vanderpuije concluded that the Minority’s accusations were politically motivated and failed to reflect the minister’s performance and ongoing diplomatic engagements on behalf of the country.