The untouchable Airport MD? The political cost of the Yvonne Opare question 

By Osman Samari 

The untouchable Airport MD? Yvonne Opare and the politics of power

Politics is ultimately about choices. Every appointment made, every dismissal delayed and every exception granted sends a message about what a government values. Sometimes, one appointment or disappointment can become the prism through which an entire administration is judged.

The continued tenure of Yvonne Opare as Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited has become one such disappointment.

Appointed under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, Opare has remained in office well into the tenure of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government. On its own, there is nothing inherently wrong with retaining a public official appointed by a previous administration provided they have a special skill that the nation needs. Governments should be free to retain competent professionals where it serves the national interest except in this case, there is no exceptional competence exhibited neither is there a special skill that Yvone Opare has shown – except her ability to serve two masters.

And the problem is not necessarily her retention itself as MD of the airport company. The problem is the silence.

Within the NDC, many supporters are asking why this particular appointment has become untouchable while appointments across other state institutions have changed. Their frustration is heightened by the reality that many skilled and competent party activists who spent years campaigning for the NDC’s return to power continue to search for employment and opportunities to serve.

That frustration intensified following the appointment of Obuobia Darko-Poku as Deputy Managing Director in the early days of the NDC returning to power. People wondered why an NDC woman had to deputize an NPP woman. But as if that was not enough to worry about, the NPP appointed Managing director did not accept the NDC woman as her deputy.The MD made life hell for her deputy and boasted of being untouchable in the corridors of power.

Among sections of the party, Obuobia’s reassignment has become symbolic of a broader perception that dedicated party members are being sidelined. Fairly speaking, many NDC party supporters believe the government has failed to explain what happened and why.

Political parties are sustained by their grassroots. They are the men and women who knock on doors, defend party policies on radio and social media, contribute their own resources and stand with the party when victory seems unlikely. While governments cannot appoint everyone who supported them, neither can they afford to ignore the sentiments of those whose sacrifices brought them to power.

The controversy surrounding Ghana Airports Company is therefore no longer simply about corporate governance. It has become a political issue.

Questions continue to circulate within political circles and across social media. Why has the Managing Director of the Ghana airport company appointed by President Akufo-Addo remained in office despite persistent calls from sections of the governing party for change? What considerations have informed that decision? Is the government prioritising continuity and institutional experience, or are there other factors that have not been publicly explained?

These questions may be uncomfortable, but they are legitimate in any democracy. They deserve answers rather than speculation.

The absence of clear communication has created a vacuum, and vacuums in politics are quickly filled with rumours. That benefits no one-not the government, not the Managing Director and certainly not the public.

For example, there are speculations that President John Mahama himself and his brother Ibrahim Mahama are are anchor. And they promised her while in opposition that they will retain her as MD if they came to power. But the Big question is: What did she do for them to make such a politicaly untenable promise to her? Many people are very curious to know the secret behind Ms Yvone Opare’s power of the appointing authorities in the NDC government – a power that outweighs that of the rank and file of the ruling party.

Yvone Opare is so powerful under the NDC government that, she is even facilitating the ground handling business at the airport to other NPP members.

If the John Mahama government believes that retaining Yvonne Opare is in Ghana’s best interest because of her competence, experience and performance – albeit that is something  obviously not apparent – then it should confidently make that case. Transparency builds trust. Silence breeds suspicion. And now, we are all suspicious, even NPP members who should sympathise with Ms Opare are also suspicious.

Conversely, if the government agree with his party base that new leadership inline NDC party ideology is required, then it should act decisively and with alacrity by replacing Yvone Opare with an equally competent NDC fellow Ghanaian.

President John Mahama has built much of his political appeal on accountability, transparency and restoring confidence in public institutions. Those principles require not only making sound decisions but also explaining them. Indecision makes him look weak or compromised in the eyes of the public especially his party base.

Citizens are far more likely to accept controversial decisions when they understand the reasoning behind them. But when an NPP appointed MD remains larger than life during the NDC administration amidst internal agitation for change, the obvious message in the absence of any government explanation is that the head of government is compromised and no explanation will suffice. Unfortunately, silence too is sufficient to keep the suspiscion brewing.

This debate extends beyond one individual or one institution. It raises a broader question about governance: What takes precedent? Continuity with political renewal? When a people call for change, when supporters who invested years in returning a party to office fight for change, do they not have legitimate expectations of leadership renewal at institutional levels?

For many NDC supporters, the issue is no longer simply whether Yvonne Opare should be be replaced as Managing Director. That has been long overdue. It is whether the NDC government appreciates the growing frustration among its grassroots and recognises the political cost of leaving such questions unanswered.

As they say, politics rewards clarity and punishes ambiguity.

The John Mahama administration still has the opportunity to redefine the narrative. But if it chooses silence over explanation, others will define it for them.

A word to the wise is enough!