The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has strongly refuted claims by Old Tafo Member of Parliament (MP) Vincent Ekow Assafuah that President John Dramani Mahama travelled abroad on an expensive private jet.

President Mahama left the country on Sunday, August 17, for a two-nation official visit to Japan and Singapore, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and attracting investments to Ghana.

Assafuah in a Facebook post claimed that the jet, which allegedly departed Accra on Sunday August 17 around 7 a.m., could cost an estimated $15,000 per hour to rent, leading to a speculative total of $690,000 for the journey if it covered stops in Japan, Singapore, Germany, and finally back to Accra.

“Damnnnnnn!!!!!!” the MP exclaimed at the end of his post, a reaction that sparked further attention and debate on social media.

Describing the allegation as “a mediocre attempt at propaganda,” in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Monday August 18, Kwakye Ofosu dismissed the MP’s statements as baseless and misleading, asserting that President Mahama flew on a commercial Emirates flight during his trip to Japan.

“Clearly the MP in question is dabbling in a mediocre attempt and propaganda,” the minister said. “He does not have any facts. He is just wasting everybody’s time with claims that are false. President Mahama has not travelled by private jet. Indeed, President Mahama travelled to Japan via Emirates, and it is something that you can check. It is not a secret.”

Ofosu further described the claims as “a shambolic effort at propaganda which has badly backfired”, urging the public to disregard what he termed a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the president with misinformation.

He emphasised that President Mahama’s travel arrangements are transparent and verifiable, and accused the MP of attempting to score cheap political points without verifying the facts.