Legal practitioner and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor has alleged that the United States could easily have returned former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to Ghana if it genuinely intended to do so.
In a social media post shared on May 17, 2026, Barker-Vormawor argued that the cancellation of Ofori-Atta’s visa alone would have been sufficient grounds for US authorities to compel his departure from the country.
“If the Americans wanted to return Ken Ofori-Atta, the moment they cancelled his visa, they would have bundled him on a flight to Ghana,” he wrote.
He further claimed that several West Africans had previously been deported to Ghana by US authorities despite pending legal actions and court orders.
“100s of West African nations have been sent to Ghana despite Court orders saying they can’t. Some were just bundled despite ongoing court cases, to Ghana. We allowed them to do this,” he stated.
According to Barker-Vormawor, the former finance minister’s continued stay abroad may be tied to broader political calculations involving the current NDC administration.
“So for me, this is a case of if they wanted, they would. My suspicion is that they will continue to hold on to him as leverage against the Government, so that the more political pressure mounts on the NDC for failing to bring him, the more they can use him as a bargaining chip to get even more from us,” he claimed.
The activist also suggested that Ghana should be prepared to respond strategically if such pressure tactics persist.
“But two can play that game! ‘Eneke the bird says that since men have learned to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching,” he added.
Barker-Vormawor further referenced the PNDC era and the well-known Soussoudis-Sharon Scranage affair, urging President John Dramani Mahama and his administration to reflect on past political events.
“They need to cast their mind back to what the PNDC did to them on the Soussoudis-Sharon Scranage affair. Someone tag Mahama and his Ministers for me,” he wrote.
