Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mustapha Gbande, has criticised moves to adjust electricity tariffs upward, arguing that unresolved corruption scandals, including the Power Distribution Services (PDS) deal, make the increase unjustifiable.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, Mr Gbande, who is also a Deputy General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), said Ghanaians should not bear higher utility costs while major cases of alleged financial mismanagement remain unaddressed.
“If we haven’t arrested and prosecuted people, we have no business increasing utility tariffs. We cannot let the PDS scandal be swept under the carpet. We want to build a country where people are legally invited, interrogated, and charged in court for their wrongdoing,” he stressed.
He urged that the government’s Accountability Series must not only highlight achievements but also expose corruption and shady deals by the previous administration that denied citizens value for money.
“We are going to call out our ministers to intensify investigations into corrupt practices. They will be doing a disservice to Ghanaians if they only tout what they are doing without exposing the rots they came to uncover,” he said.
Addressing concerns about politically motivated arrests, Mr. Gbande insisted that those apprehended under the NDC’s initiative had legitimate cases to answer.
“We promised ORAL, and a few people are being arrested, and they are complaining. But until Ghanaians vote for a new government, it will continue,” he remarked, adding that the NPP should not expect the NDC to remain silent in the face of what he described as blatant mismanagement.
“We thought the NPP would go and sleep quietly, but clearly, they don’t do that,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) recently announced a 1.14% increase in electricity tariffs, effective October 1, 2025.