The Third National Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Yakubu Abanga, has declared his willingness to resign from his position if investigations find him complicit in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
His comment comes in the wake of a directive from the Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, instructing the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to investigate Mr. Abanga and the NDC’s National Organiser, Joseph Yamin, over allegations of fuelling unauthorised anti-galamsey taskforces.
“I am putting my position on the line, that if anybody should be bold and come out with evidence against me, Abanga Yakubu Alhassan, that I am into galamsey or I have formed a taskforce to extort money from people and bring it to me in Accra, I will resign today from my position,” Mr. Abanga said in an interview.
He described the allegations as “baseless, malicious and a calculated attempt to dent my hard-earned reputation.”
The controversy stems from accusations made by a group of small-scale miners who, in a recent press statement, accused the two NDC national executives of backing fake anti-galamsey taskforces. According to the miners, the so-called task forces have been invading legitimate mining sites across the Ashanti and Western Regions.
Leader of the aggrieved miners, Andrew Abban, alleged that these taskforce operatives wear camouflage and are armed with weapons, terrorising miners at sites in Sekondi, Bekwai, Offinso, Prestea, and other areas.
In a letter on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, the Attorney General directed EOCO to interrogate Mr. Abanga and Mr. Yamin, and to extend the probe to others found complicit in illegal mining activities.
“The scope of this investigation should include the matters highlighted in Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s report on illegal mining,” the letter stated.
Although Mr. Abanga says he has not officially received the letter, he has pledged full cooperation with any investigations, reiterating his readiness to step down if found guilty.
The development adds another layer to Ghana’s intensifying national debate on illegal mining, corruption, and political accountability.
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