The Member of Parliament for Walewale, Abdul Kabiru Tiah Mahama, has accused President John Dramani Mahama of breaching the Code of Conduct for government appointees by repeatedly using a private jet owned by his brother for official international travel.
Speaking to JoyNews in Parliament, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislator said the arrangement raises serious ethical concerns and creates what he described as a “palpable conflict of interest.”
The President is currently on a trip to South Korea and reportedly travelled on a private jet owned by his brother, businessman Ibrahim Mahama.
Dr. Tiah Mahama argued that the decision contradicts standards set out in the government’s own code of conduct for public officials.
“The potential conflict of using a private person’s jet for official trips is apparent,” he said. “And now you are not using just any private person — you are using the president’s brother. The palpable conflict of interest is there.”
According to the Walewale MP, public officials — especially the President — must avoid situations that could raise questions about ethical conduct or undue advantage.
“If a president must live beyond reproach, people should not see any semblance of unethical consideration in your behaviour,” he stated. “The fact that the president is using his brother’s aircraft puts him right at the centre of a conflict situation.”
The MP also referenced previous criticism from members of the current administration when they were in opposition regarding the use of aircraft for presidential travel.
He recalled that debates at the time centred on whether Ghana’s presidential jet was serviceable and whether the then-government should rely on commercial flights.
“Down the line, the president is found to be doing the very thing they spoke against,” he said.
Dr. Tiah Mahama insisted that alternative options existed for the President’s travel arrangements.
“There is no reason whatsoever. Even if there was a need for him to travel, he could have used a commercial flight, even business class, to ensure comfort,” he added.
The MP is therefore calling for an immediate end to the practice, arguing that it undermines public confidence and contradicts the ethical standards expected of government officials.
In a related development, the President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudioe, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama for using a private aircraft belonging to his brother and business mogul, Ibrahim Mahama, stating that the move sends mixed signals about the government’s stance on public-sector discipline.
In a Facebook post on March 12, 2026, Cudioe argued that the president should provide justification if he chooses to travel on a private jet, especially after asking government appointees to limit travel unless there is a clear economic justification.
“Mr. President, with due respect, you cannot be asking your appointees not to travel without providing economic justification, and then you jump on your brother’s plane without providing us reasons why you think it is the only safe, available, and cheaper airline,” he stated.
Cudioe referenced a recent instance where the president travelled on a commercial flight, a move that was widely publicised by the communications team and praised by many Ghanaians
“You recently flew commercial, and your communications team happily shared videos. We all applauded,” he said
“This is the second time I have heard about using Mr Ibrahim Mahama’s plane, and you may be earning back your own ‘dead goat’ syndrome, which was last rejected by many. Please stop, Cudjoe cautioned.
Cudjoe, however, said reports of the president again using a private aircraft owned by Ibrahim Mahama could undermine the message of fiscal discipline being communicated to public officials.
“This is the second time I have heard about using Mr Ibrahim Mahama’s plane, and you may be earning back your own ‘dead goat’ syndrome, which was last rejected by many. Please stop,” Cudjoe cautioned.
Cudjoe, however, said reports of the president again using a private aircraft owned by Ibrahim Mahama could undermine the message of fiscal discipline being communicated to public officials.
According to him, such actions risk reviving criticisms associated with what he described as the ‘dead goat syndrome,’ a phrase previously used in Ghana’s political discourse to suggest indifference to public criticism.
He consequently appealed to the president to desist or offer explanations for his reason for flying in his brother’s private jet
