Franklin Cudjoe’s explosive epistle accuses former President’s inner circle of systematic looting, murder, and state capture, framing Ofori-Atta’s U.S. detention as poetic justice.
Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President and Executive Director of the influential policy think tank IMANI Africa, has authored a searing epistle that characterizes the eight-year administration of former President Nana Akufo-Addo as a period of “criminal” governance by a family syndicate from Kyebi.
The sharply worded document, addressed to the public and circulating widely, leaves no room for equivocation. It labels Akufo-Addo’s rule as one of “annoying total lack of intelligence and morality,” marked by wickedness, grotesque corruption, and nepotism.
Cudjoe alleges that a tight-knit group, which he repeatedly refers to as “this family,” orchestrated a multi-billion dollar heist of state resources, subverted democratic institutions, and evaded accountability with impunity.
Cudjoe’s missive functions as a sweeping charge sheet against Akufo-Addo’s inner circle, implicating them by name in specific scandals:
Nana Akufo-Addo: Accused of a “sense of entitlement,” handing lucrative state contracts to his children including a “$134M shady ambulance deal” and being sworn in for a second term in 2020 “like a bloody dictator” behind heavy military security, ashamed of a victory marred by alleged orchestrated killings during the elections.
Ken Ofori-Atta: Described as a “maverick charming criminal” who “orchestrated a massive and successful looting heist” with “finesse laced with bible verses.” Cudjoe links him directly to the $500 million SML deal, the controversial DDEP, the banking sector cleanup, and the Agyapa royalty agreement. His current detention in the U.S. is framed as karmic justice for “destroying Ghana’s economy in eight years.”
· Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko: Portrayed as a central figure in the alleged PDS scandal, where “ECG revenues totaling over 1.5 billion cedis were diverted.” Cudjoe claims Otchere-Darko has since built a “massive media empire” and cloaked himself in the “useless African Prosperity Network” to escape accountability. “In many jurisdictions he will be in jail by now,” Cudjoe asserts.
· Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia & Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei-Opare: Implicated in “currency printing contracts” and the alleged diversion of major government contracts from state agencies like GOIL to companies owned by their children.
· Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo: Noted for his wife’s board memberships and his ownership of a “massive real estate business,” built during his time in office.
Cudjoe estimates that “between 2017 to 2024 this family looted over $15 billion of Ghanaian taxes into offshore and safe haven accounts.”
The epistle is not merely a historical recap. It is a direct intervention in the ongoing saga of Ken Ofori-Atta’s U.S. detention. Cudjoe explicitly mocks the efforts by “Gabby led by a bunch of educated dishonest people” to seek preferential treatment for Ofori-Atta, framing it as the ultimate hypocrisy of a corrupt elite.
Furthermore, he uses the moment to deliver a damning verdict on the political tradition they represent: “Nana Addo showed us the true DNA colors of the UP tradition. They are just a bunch of educated elitist gang of criminals. They are thieves in pinstripes suits.”
The publication of such a comprehensive and ferocious attack from a figure of Cudjoe’s stature a former ally and occasional critic of the Akufo-Addo administration signals a new level of political warfare.
It moves criticism from policy disputes to allegations of systemic criminality and state capture by a single familial network.
The response from the named individuals, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and the current government, which must now navigate these explosive claims, will be closely watched. The epistle has undoubtedly raised the stakes in Ghana’s ongoing accountability debate.