Pius Enam Hadzide, aide to Bryan Acheampong and spokesperson for his 2028 presidential campaign, has strongly denied allegations of involvement in visa racketeering during the Akufo-Addo administration, describing the claims as baseless and politically motivated.

Speaking on with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Friday, July 4, Hadzide dismissed suggestions that he contributed to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the 2024 elections due to his alleged role in the 2018 Australian visa scandal.

“There has not been a scandal; there have been propagandist allegations, baseless ones as such,” he said, accusing the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of fabricating the story for political gain.

Hadzide claimed the NDC deliberately misled the public in an attempt to damage reputations and influence electoral outcomes.

He also noted that despite such allegations, the NPP won the 2020 elections, indicating that Ghanaians were not swayed by what he called “propagandist politics of the NDC.”

“These so-called scandals, what I know to be populist propaganda from desperate politicians at the time, who lied their way to power. Those things remained, but we still won the 2020 elections. There were no scandals; those were propagandist politics of the NDC,” he stated.

Pius Hadzide, who was the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Asuogyaman, during the 2024 election campaign, courted another controversy in the run up to the election after he made a bold promise to constituents, urging them to vote for him if they want their children to travel to the United States for the 2026 World Cup.

Hadzide, who was seeking to represent Asuogyaman in Parliament, made this statement during a campaign event, touting his connections and experience in the sports sector as a pathway for Ghanaian youth to participate in international sporting events.

Hadzide’s pledge came with a controversial past. In 2017, as Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, he was embroiled in the infamous Australian Visa scandal. The scandal involved several Ghanaian nationals who allegedly posed as journalists to obtain visas and travel to the Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Although Hadzide was initially suspended pending investigations, he was later cleared of any wrongdoing and reinstated by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

We’re targeting ‘honorary’ title abuse, not politicians – GTEC Boss

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