The Director of Legal Affairs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, has given details of how appointees of the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama government were allegedly terrorised by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government when they took over in 2017.

According to Eduzi, appointees of the then-Mahama government had armed men storming their homes while they were with their children for no reason.

The NDC legal affairs director, who made these remarks during a panel discussion on TV3 on Saturday, December 21, 2024, said that some of the appointees even spent nights in jail even though they had committed no crimes.

“I remember 2016 around this time by January, key appointees of John Mahama were made to sleep at police stations, counter-backs. My own boss, who was the Deputy AG (Dominic Ayine) then, woke up one morning at 5 am to find armed men surrounding his house. What was his offence? He wrote a legal opinion. You went to the point of even criminalising legal opinions.

“You wake up one morning. John Jinapor is at home with his children and wife, and armed men stormed, fully armed with AK47s. You wake up one morning, the Honourable Kwabena Donkor is at home, and armed men storm his house.”

Eduzi made these remarks while reacting to assertions by proponents of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government that the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) anti-corruption initiative of President-Elect John Dramani Mahama was unnecessary and would fail.

He warned appointees of the Akufo-Addo government to prepare themselves for what was coming.

He added that if the NDC were to follow the steps of the NPP, appointees of the Akufo-Addo government would all go to jail.

“You are talking about something (the ORAL) that is bound to fail. Relax. You have no idea what is coming. Stay calm. If we use the Akufo-Addo standard, most of you will be in prison.

“If we use the Akufo-Addo standard that he used from 2017 to date, you can't survive in this country. Do you know what people have gone through? And they are quiet. Relax and watch,” he said.

He also explained that the 5-member ORAL team recently appointed by John Dramani Mahama is only to prepare the way for the full implementation of the initiative when Mahama assumes office on January 7, 2024.

About the ORAL team:

President-Elect John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, appointed a five-man team to start work on his anti-corruption initiative, Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL).

This initiative aims to recover all of the country’s resources that have been looted by public officials.

The anti-corruption team will be chaired by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu.

The members of the team include former Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo, retired Commissioner of Police (COP) Nathaniel Kofi Boakye, renowned private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu, and investigative journalist Raymond Archer.

A statement issued by the spokesperson of Mahama’s Transition Team, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, indicated that the main function of the team is to gather information on suspected acts of corruption.

It added that the essence of the preparatory team is to ensure that ORAL starts as soon as possible.

The Chairperson of the team, Okudzeto Ablakwa, has indicated that they had their first meeting on Wednesday.

He stated that the team is not going to receive any compensation for the work on the team.

Watch his remarks in the videos below: