Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, a senior Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, has waded into the debate over calls for the resignation of New Juaben South MP, Michael Okyere Baafi, insisting that North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, should also be held to the same standard.
Mr. Okyere Baafi has come under intense pressure after the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the September 2, 2025 Akwatia by-election. Ahead of the polls, the MP vowed to step down if his party lost the contest.
“If NPP loses this Akwatia by-election, I will resign as MP, mark my words,” he declared in an interview on August 31.
Following the loss, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has demanded that he honor his word. Its Director of Elections, Rashid Tanko Computer, rejected Baafi’s subsequent apology, stressing:
“We are going to Michael Okyere Baafi’s constituency. He has apologised, we are not accepting his apology. He must resign. If he doesn’t resign, Ghanaians will not take politicians seriously.”
However, Dr. Zaato said while Baafi should indeed resign, fairness demands that Okudzeto Ablakwa also step down for failing to honour a similar public pledge.
“He [Baafi] should resign, I also call on him to resign, but so too should Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. Why is it that the same people calling for Baafi’s resignation are not also calling on Okudzeto Ablakwa to do same? He was the MP who said that when he becomes Minister in this administration and any member of government uses a private jet, he will resign. He is also on tape,” Dr. Zaato argued.
He maintained that accountability should not be selective, describing the double standards in Ghanaian politics as “hypocrisy on steroids.”
“Let us hold both of them accountable and have them all resign and have two by-elections. By-elections do something good for local economies,” he quipped.