NPP Leaders Refuse to Return 701 Diplomatic Passports: A Stark Rebellion
The National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Stephen Ntim, along with the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, and various members of the National Cathedral Secretariat, are some of those who have declined to hand back their diplomatic and service passports that were provided during President Akufo-Addo’s tenure.
This situation has led the Mahama administration to cancel the travel documents.
On May 6, 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration announced that they had revoked 701 diplomatic and service passports associated with ex-officials from the prior administration as well as others who have left public service.
The invalidated passports encompass those granted to previous cabinet members along with their partners, past parliamentary representatives, former Council of State officials together with their spouses, as well as retired judges from both Upper and Lower courts.
Those impacted also include past regional administrators, metropolitan, municipal, and district chief executives (MMDCEs), previous chairs of state organizations, as well as people connected to the National Cathedral Initiative.
The list similarly encompasses ex non-career ambassadors along with their families, spiritual and customary authorities, businesspeople, as well as an array of other previous governmental nominees.
As per the formal announcement, the revocations include 341 unretrieved diplomatic passports and 360 service passports, rendering them ineffective for global journeys.
“As a result of the non-compliance or unwillingness of the passport holders to follow the directive, all 341 outstanding Diplomatic Passports and 360 Service Passports with designated serial numbers have been revoked immediately as per the instruction from the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs. The ministry has added these invalidated documents to the stop list; they will be seized should they appear at any entry or exit points,” the statement read.
In a Facebook post, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that the revocations of passports were due to the affected individuals’ repeated failure to comply with President John Mahama’s instruction to return their travel documents.
“These passports, which were issued during the prior government, are currently flagged at every border post and Ghanaian embassy overseas. Any attempts to utilize these documents will result in their confiscation,” Mr. Ablakwa stated.
He added, “Given that since January, the recipients have persistently declined to follow President Mahama’s instructions, we were left with no alternative but to proceed with this measure. Nonetheless, I would like to acknowledge the 407 Diplomatic Passport holders and 403 Service Passport holders who adhered to the request and surrendered their passports.”
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Chairman of NPP, General Secretary, and others decline to hand back 701 Diplomatic Passports
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