President John Dramani Mahama has made a passionate appeal to former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to return to Ghana voluntarily as the government pursues legal processes to secure his extradition.
Speaking during the Reset Tour and Citizens’ Engagement in the Volta Region on Friday, July 17, 2026, President Mahama reminded Mr Ofori-Atta of remarks he made while serving as Finance Minister, when he described himself as a father who could not abandon his children.
The President said Ofori-Atta should demonstrate the same sense of responsibility by returning home to address the issues surrounding him.
“You held the most sensitive position as Finance Minister, and at the point when your own Members of Parliament, 80 of them, signed an application that the President should remove you, you said something historic. You said you are like the father of children and that you can’t run away and leave your children,” President Mahama stated.
Drawing on that analogy, he made a direct appeal to the former minister.
“So if we Ghanaians are your children, we are calling you, we are begging you, father, come back. Your children are calling you to come back,” he said.
“If you are a man of principle and you believe you have done nothing wrong, I don’t see why you should flee your own country,” he added.
Addressing concerns about the government’s efforts to secure Ofori-Atta’s return, the President stressed that the extradition process would be conducted strictly in accordance with the law and with full respect for the former minister’s rights.
He explained that because the matter involves another jurisdiction, Ghana must submit a formal extradition request, after which a court in the United States would determine whether the request meets the legal requirements.
“Extradition or return of fugitives from justice is a legal process, and so you need to respect the rights of the person at the same time,” he said.
President Mahama disclosed that the Attorney General’s Department has already initiated the process by filing the necessary application and is submitting additional documents requested by the relevant authorities.
“The Attorney General’s Department has done its best. It filed the application; there are some additional documents that were asked for that it is filing, and eventually it will all go before an American judge to make a decision,” he said.
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
