When news broke of a Private Members’ Bill seeking to repeal Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) Act, 2017 (Act 959), Dr. Kojo Asante, Director of Policy Advocacy and Engagement at CDD-Ghana, could hardly contain his dismay.
For Dr. Asante, a long-time advocate for good governance and transparency, the move felt like a sharp betrayal, not just of promises made, but of the trust of ordinary Ghanaians.
The bill, introduced by Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga and Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, aims to dissolve the OSP and return all prosecutorial powers over corruption cases to the Attorney-General, in line with Article 88 of the Constitution. Supporters of the bill argue that the OSP’s eight years have exposed serious issues: overlapping duties, institutional friction, jurisdictional confusion, and sluggish justice processes.
But for Dr. Asante, these justifications ring hollow. On Thursday, December 11, 2025, he took to Facebook to express his outrage. “First thing on my mind today, December 11, 2025. If the NDC majority pushes this bill through Parliament, it will be the greatest betrayal of trust. I am shocked and very angry,” he wrote, his words carrying the weight of disappointment felt by many citizens.
He went further, questioning whether Parliament was truly representing the will of the people. “This is not what was promised to Ghanaians in the fight against corruption. Ghanaians do not want this, so who are the MPs representing… themselves? Is that what the large majority in Parliament is going to be used for? Ghanaians must let all the MPs know on their socials that they represent us and not themselves,” he urged.
Dr. Asante also challenged the urgency behind the bill, pointing out that a constitutional review process is the proper avenue for making such important decisions about the nation’s anti-corruption strategy. He argued that repealing the OSP would undermine the fight against corruption at a time when public accountability is desperately needed.
“Now I am convinced more than ever that we need an independent prosecutor for corruption matters. The fact that politicians on all sides have come out to support repeal, while the rest of society wants to keep the OSP, tells the story,” Dr. Asante reflected, highlighting a growing disconnect between political leaders and the people they serve.
He warned that dismantling the OSP would weaken the fight against corruption and threaten Ghana’s stability. “The sad part is that with all the threats to the stability of our state and democracy coming from the looting of public resources and impunity, this is what we think we should do to aid the fight against corruption. We have a much bigger problem for the future of this country,” he cautioned.
For Dr. Kojo Asante and many Ghanaians, the fate of the OSP is more than a legislative matter, it is a test of the nation’s commitment to transparency, justice, and the rule of law. As the debate rages on, the hope is that the voices of ordinary citizens will not be drowned out by the vested interests of a powerful few.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com
