Franklin Cudjoe, the Founding President of IMANI Africa, has publicly rebuked President John Dramani Mahama for utilizing a private jet owned by his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, for an official trip to Korea.
The criticism follows reports that the President traveled to meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on the private aircraft. The move has sparked a social media debate regarding the financial implications for the state and whether the trip contradicts the administration’s own austerity guidelines.
Mr. Cudjoe argued that the President’s choice of transport undermines the code of conduct established for government appointees, which demands economic justification for official travel. He noted that the lack of transparency regarding the costs or benefits of using the private jet sends “conflicting signals.”
In a statement shared via Facebook, Franklin Cudjoe addressed the President directly:
“Mr President, with due respect, you cannot be asking your appointees not to travel without providing economic justification, and then you jump on your brother’s plane without providing us reasons why you think it is the only safe, available and cheaper airline.”
The IMANI leader further cautioned that such actions could revive the “dead goat” label—a term famously associated with Mr. Mahama’s perceived indifference to criticism during his previous tenure.
“You recently flew commercial, and your communications team happily shared videos. We all applauded. Seriously, this sends conflicting signals about your own fidelity to the public code of conduct for public office. This is the second time I have heard about using Mr Ibrahim Mahama’s plane, and you may be earning back your own ‘dead goat’ syndrome, which was last rejected by many. Please stop,” Cudjoe added.
The President’s travel choice has also drawn commentary from investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni. Drawing a parallel to the previous administration, Awuni posed a rhetorical comparison:
“If Gabby Otchere-Darko were a private businessman, owned a private jet, and President Akufo-Addo used it for official trips.”
The Presidency has yet to release a statement justifying the use of the private aircraft or detailing the financial arrangements involved in the trip.