Fatimatu Abubakar, the Minister for Information and government spokesperson on the 2024 Transition Team, has defended the government’s last-minute recruitments and payments, amid criticism from the incoming administration.
On Tuesday, December 17, 2024, the Mahama Transition Team, through spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu, issued a stern warning that any unauthorized recruitments, promotions, or financial transactions—some reportedly backdated would be reversed once the formal transfer of power takes place.
In response, Abubakar dismissed the allegations during an interview on Eyewitness News, asserting that all ongoing government actions are legal and within the framework of the law.
She emphasized that the current administration retains its full mandate until the official handover, and that the actions being taken are both legitimate and necessary. She also urged the incoming government to respect the processes and refrain from politicizing routine administrative decisions.
“The question we should be asking is whether the government is doing anything illegal. If the government is doing something illegal, it does not matter whether it happens during the transition period or over the past eight years.
Anything illegal should be prosecuted if they so desire. And I believe that the population of our country will support them if that’s the route they wish to take. But if not, they should not hide behind the transition team to undermine the constitutional mandate of President Akufo-Addo,” she said.
Abubakar further clarified that the activities in question are part of the approved 2024 budget, which was thoroughly examined and passed by Parliament, including members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
She expressed surprise that, after participating in the budget process, the NDC would now raise concerns about ongoing activities that remain within the scope of President Akufo-Addo’s constitutional mandate until the formal completion of the transition.
“If you look at all the activities they are complaining about, to the best of my knowledge, these are activities featured in the 2024 budget year. From November 2024, the budget was sent to parliament. They are part of that parliament that sat through the budget; as you know we have hung parliament. So, whatever budget was submitted, they could scrutinise, do the appropriation, and go to the committee and every aspect of the process that led to the passage of the budget.
“They were an integral part of that. When the finance minister went to parliament for reassignment during the midyear budget review, they were part of the same parliament that passed the same expenditure.
“I am surprised, that if there is an activity or an expenditure captured in this budget, and the NDC fully participated in them and were expecting the ministries that are responsible for executing those programmes and projects to have up to the end of President Akufo-Addo’s mandate to do the same, why will they turn around all of a sudden and say there are some irregular activities,” she questioned.
