998 Staffers: Those Who Shout Equalisation Are "Political Cowards" - Baako 

President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government have come under intense criticism after presenting a list of staff under the Office of President to Parliament.

The government is accused of overstaffing the Presidency with the number of employees being up to 998.

Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid, earlier this week, reportedly claimed the number was lesser as compared to the Mahama-led administration and even added that the NPP is operating with a budget lesser than what the previous administration had.

The Center for Democratic Development (CDD)-Ghana has expressed disappointment in President Akufo-Addo’s decision to continue the trend of over-staffing at the Presidency, given the public concerns raised over his appointment last year of 110 Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

Some political figures and socio-economic commentators including a section of Ghanaians have also expressed disgust over the "super-sized" Presidential staff, stressing the number is untenable.

In analyzing the issues, the NDC have been digging up the past by making reference to what the NPP said about the number that was recorded under the erstwhile Mahama administration.

In their attempt at equalization, the opposition party cannot fathom why the ruling party would want to justify the current list of number of employees at the Presidency, when a few years back, they roundly condemned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) when they (NDC) were in power.

But Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide is not having none of that.

According to him, they, themselves, indulge in equalization when it suits them but when it doesn't; then they would raise concerns about someone trying to make references to buttress their submissions.

He told host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme that "those who shout equalization, they are cowards. Political cowards, that’s what they are. When you make an assertion and they respond by saying this is equalization, those people are cowards. They’re people scared of examining their past. Those people, they’re damn scared of their past being put on the table for critical examination; and I’ve seen that their defensive mechanism is to shout equalization. But watch carefully, they themselves indulge in that thing they call equalization when it suits them; every time. So, I’ve seen it’s deliberate policy that they’ve intentionally launched to try and stop people who want to expose them for their hypocrisy and double standards”.

Touching further on the issue of over-staffing at the Presidency, Kweku Baako stated that there's enough record to show that both the NPP and NDC “across the divide, on each occasion this matter has come up, they took a stand which is not consistent with what they had taken earlier”.