Solomon Owusu, the Communications Director of the United Party, has told the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that they have no moral right to criticise John Mahama for using his brother’s private jet.
The UP man defended President John Dramani Mahama over criticisms regarding his use of a private jet belonging to his brother for official travels.
He argued that the NPP under Akufo-Addo rented a jet even when the presidential jet was available, but in this case, the presidential jet is unavailable.
Speaking on Onua TV on March 14, 2026, Solomon Owusu stated, “The NPP has no moral right to speak because anytime they do, people get angry. I would have been the first person to criticise President Mahama if the presidential jet was available and he wasn’t using it”.
“The reason some of us criticised Akufo-Addo when he was renting a private jet was that at the time, the Falcon was available. Even the Liberian president rented it for his travels, and so if the Falcon is available and you proceed to rent, then we have every right to criticise you,” he stated.
Solomon Owusu explained, “What we are discussing today is not as if the Falcon is available and the president has decided not to use it. The Falcon is unavailable, and so we have to separate the issues for people to know the available options”.
“When Mahama picks a commercial flight, what are the security implications?” he questioned.
“One of the things that caused the NPP’s loss was not propaganda but their actions, like the National Cathedral construction, among other things,” he added.
His comments follow the NPP minority, who have demanded answers over President Mahama’s use of his brother’s private jet.
Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and MP for Bosome Freho, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has announced the Minority is seeking clarity on President John Dramani Mahama’s recent diplomatic trips using a chartered jet.
According to him, he and his colleague, Old Tafo MP, have formally filed a parliamentary question to the Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs.
Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh detailed that they are demanding answers on the circumstances under which the President travels, how contingents are chosen, and how these trips are funded.
The MP detailed that the Minority is concerned about transparency, funding, and the criteria for such travel.
Speaking on the Channel One Newsroom, Asafo-Adjei Ayeh stated, “My colleague, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, and I have filed a question in this regard. We have catalogued all the travels of the president that have officially been communicated to Parliament.
“Now we are asking the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to come and brief us under what circumstances, what criteria, how he is traveling, who the contingents are, and how we are funding all these.
“When they come to respond to these questions, then we can come out with our position. For now, we are only observing and taking note,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary to the President, John Dramani Mahama, Dr Callistus Mahama, has announced that Ghana will receive additional aircraft for the presidential fleet by November 2026.
According to Dr Callistus Mahama, one of the aircraft will be dedicated to the President’s travel.
He revealed that once Ghana’s aircraft are delivered, President Mahama will no longer use the private jet belonging to his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, for official travel.
In an opinion piece, Dr Callistus Mahama stated, “Many of the state institutions the President inherited—including key operational capacities within the security services—require rebuilding, re-equipping, and careful reform. The Ghana Armed Forces, which play an important role in state aviation, are part of that ongoing process of renewal.
Plans are already underway to strengthen Ghana’s presidential air transport capability as part of the broader retooling of the Armed Forces. By November this year, the country is expected to have additional aircraft within the presidential fleet, including one dedicated to the President’s travel.
When that happens, Ghana will once again have the capacity to rely fully on its own state assets for the safe and efficient transportation of the Head of State. It will also remove the need for the kind of temporary arrangements that have generated the current discussion”.
Watch the video below:
The NPP has no moral right to criticize John Mahama for using his brother’s private jet. The party once rented a jet even when the presidential jet was available, but in this case the presidential jet is unavailable – Solomon Owusu#OnuaTV #KaWaSemYie pic.twitter.com/MsDRpwWunH
— #OnuaTV (@OnuaTV) March 14, 2026