This Saturday on Newsfile, we discuss the ghost payrolls, cyber scandal, and political resistance shaping Ghana’s governance.

The NSS “ghost names” scandal has escalated into one of Ghana’s largest financial controversies.

Former Executive Director Osei Assibey Antwi and his then-Deputy Gifty Oware-Mensah now face criminal charges over alleged fraud of GH¢653 million, largely stemming from payments made to fictitious service personnel.

Prosecutors claim Antwi authorized allowances for over 60,000 non-existent workers, siphoning funds across multiple accounts, including his own e-zwich card, and diverting more than GH¢106 million from a farm project.

Gifty Oware-Mensah is accused of creating nearly 9,934 ghost entries, securing a GH¢31.5 million loan through her company, Blocks of Life Consult, and transferring funds through a web of private entities.

Recent court proceedings were adjourned because Gifty Oware submitted a 2-day medical excuse, while Mr Antwi’s defense said he was required in Kumasi by the police, and both await formal service of charge documents.

As a result, the case has been adjourned and is expected to be recalled at a later date, likely next week.

On another front, the ORAL agenda’s NSB scandal continues. The Accra High Court has denied former NSB boss Kwabena Adu-Boahene’s motion to suspend his trial, insisting the case proceed despite pending appeals.

The A-G has also withdrawn all charges against co-accused Mildred Donkor, citing her new role as a prosecution witness in the GH¢49 million cyber-software contract case. This move shifts the axis of the trial into public gaze, raising questions about whether the legal process is being used, or manipulated, to settle accounts.

Across the political aisle, Alan John Kyerematen’s Movement for Change has rebranded as the United Party (UP Plus), delivering not merely a name change but a reasserted vision: to break free of the status quo, champion integrity and competence, and offer Ghana a credible third option by 2040.

Alan Kyerematen’s rebranded United Party (UP Plus) confronts fresh resistance. After breaking from the NPP, UP Plus has rejected calls for amnesty, insisting the split is final. Yet analysts and former NPP operatives question whether the new party can endure Ghana’s entrenched two-party politics.

Some NPP members are also threatening legal action on the choice of name and United Party use to be the name of the NPP. Its rhetoric is bold, but the opposition is louder: can UP Plus turn resistance into legitimac or will it collapse under pressure?

Join Samson Lardy Anyenini this Saturday at 9 a.m. on JoyNews, Joy 99.7FM, and MyJoyOnline, as we put the ghost payrolls under the microscope, decode the NSB trial’s strategic pivots, and test whether UP Plus is rising or already buckling.

Newsfile airs live on the JoyNews channel on digital satellite channels 421 on DSTV and 144 on GoTV, and streams on JoyNews’ Facebook or YouTube channels on Saturdays from 9 am to noon.

Viewers can also follow the discussion by tuning in to Joy 99.7 FM or Luv 99.5 FM on the radio or stream the discussion live on either Google or Apple Podcasts.

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