Kwame Owusu Danso, the running mate to Alan Kyerematen of the Movement for Change, has come out strongly in defense of Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, following widespread criticism over her return to Ghana via a private jet after a medical trip to the United Kingdom.
The backlash, led primarily by members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), accused the Vice President of extravagance in a time of national hardship. Among the critics was Old Tafo Member of Parliament, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, who claimed that the trip cost taxpayers over $170,000 — an amount he said could have been used to address pressing domestic issues such as supporting striking university lecturers or improving healthcare and school facilities.
“While students study by candlelight… Ghana’s Vice President touched down from London on a VistaJet,” Assafuah posted on social media, igniting heated debate across political and civic platforms.
But Kwame Owusu Danso, speaking on Pan Africa TV, dismissed the outrage as political grandstanding. “I wonder if they expected the Vice President to return home in an OA bus or a Sprinter,” he said pointedly. “She is the Vice President, for crying out loud.”
Danso accused the NPP of selective criticism and double standards. He cited past instances under the previous NPP administration where government officials reportedly engaged in wasteful spending, including rumors of foreign trips taken for trivial reasons. “We had people who flew out to buy pizza and returned the same day. Are those people more human than the Vice President?” he asked rhetorically.
Calling for a more respectful and balanced political discourse, Danso emphasized that high-ranking public officials deserve a certain level of dignity and logistical support, especially when health and state responsibilities intersect.
“This attempt to trivialize her status and reduce her to political mockery is unfortunate and unworthy of a serious national conversation,” he added.
The Vice President has not directly addressed the criticism, but sources close to her office have reiterated that her travel arrangements were in line with her official capacity and security protocols.
As the political temperature continues to rise ahead of Ghana’s next general elections, this latest controversy underscores the ongoing polarization of public opinion on governance, spending, and leadership optics.