President John Dramani Mahama’s recent trip to Japan has sparked controversy after it has emerged that the President spent over 22 hours stranded in D
President John Dramani Mahama’s recent trip to Japan has sparked controversy after it has emerged that the President spent over 22 hours stranded in Dubai before connecting to Tokyo on a commercial Emirates flight.
The incident has revived national debate about the presidential jet, with critics pointing fingers at the National Democratic Congress MP for North Tongu and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for what they describe as hypocrisy and political double standards.
Commercial Flight, Not Private Jet
Contrary to allegations by Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, that President Mahama had chartered a luxury private jet costing an estimated $690,000, latest reports said that the President flew aboard Emirates flight EK318.
John Mahama left Accra on Sunday evening after attending a thanksgiving service for the late Defence Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah at the Christ The King Catholic Church.
He then connected through Dubai before arriving in Tokyo at 5:43 p.m. local time Tuesday.
The President, accompanied by a high-level delegation, is in Japan to participate in the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IX).
However, the details of his trip have triggered public backlash, not for supposed extravagance, but because the Head of State had to endure nearly a full day of layover in Dubai before his nine-hour flight to Japan. From Tokyo the President had to joined a commercial train to Yokohama, the event centre for another two and half hours.
Clash Over Propaganda
The situation escalated after MP Assafuah posted on social media that a private jet, M-BAEP, had left Accra early Sunday morning and implied that it carried President Mahama and his entourage for the Japan conference.
His claims included a calculation that such a journey would cost the taxpayer at least $15,000 per hour.
The post drew a sharp rebuttal from the Deputy Chief of Staff in Charge of Operations, Stan Xoese Dogbe, who mocked Assafuah for what he described as “a diabolic lie.”
Stan Dogbe pointed out that President Mahama was seen live on television between 10:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. attending Dr. Omane Boamah’s thanksgiving mass, making it impossible for him to have boarded the private jet at 7a.m.
“What kind of logic is this? Even if you are not street smart, must you embarrass yourself this way?” Dogbe lashed out.
Ekow Assafuah, however, defended himself, claiming he never mentioned the President by name in his post, and dismissed Dogbe’s criticism as “nonsense.”
Ablakwa in the Spotlight
The controversy has also cast a shadow on Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Once regarded as the fiercest critic of private jet usage under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Ablakwa is now accused of remaining silent while his own government subjects the President to embarrassing situations abroad.
During Akufo-Addo’s tenure, Okudzeto Ablakwa gained popularity by exposing the costs of chartered flights, often publishing detailed breakdowns of flight times and rental fees, albeit mostly exaggerated.
He was particularly vocal about the government’s decision to abandon the Ghanaian presidential jet — a Dassault Falcon 900 EXE purchased in 2008 — which he described as “perfectly fit for use.”
In fiery parliamentary debates and press briefings, Okudzeto Ablakwa condemned what he termed Akufo-Addo’s “obscene luxury in the skies” and argued that the suffering Ghanaian taxpayer could not afford such waste.
But today, critics say Ablakwa’s silence is deafening.
Accusations of Hypocrisy
Some opposition lawmakers have accused Ablakwa of double standards, recalling his famous pledge to resign if any government he served in resorted to private jet rentals.
“Okudzeto Ablakwa built his brand on accountability. He told Ghanaians he would never be part of a government that charters luxury jets. Today, he is in Cabinet and silent, while President Mahama suffers layovers abroad. This is hypocrisy,” said MP John Ntim Fordjour of Assin South in the Central region.
The controversy comes months after Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang returned from a medical trip on a chartered VistaJet aircraft — a flight that was never publicly explained. Okudzeto Ablakwa, then as now, offered no comment, as he went deaf and dump.
Calls for New Presidential Jet
The spectacle of the President spending nearly a full day stranded at an airport in Dubai has triggered debate about whether it is time for the country to reconsider purchasing a new presidential jet.
Supporters argue that the dignity, security, and efficiency of the Head of State should not be compromised by political propaganda.
Critics, however, caution against unnecessary spending at a time when Ghana is grappling with economic hardship.
On Asempa FM, one commentator lamented: “The President had to suffer because of petty politics. Is this how we want to run a country? He spent 22 hours in Dubai, then nine hours in the air, and two more hours on a train to Yokohama. Should we continue like this, or should we be bold and buy a presidential aircraft?”
A Test of Credibility
For President Mahama, the Japan trip was meant to be an important diplomatic engagement at TICAD IX.
Instead, it has been overshadowed by a domestic storm over aircraft use and political hypocrisy.
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