Ablakwa mocks the fact that the 'unfit' presidential jet is flown to France for maintenance.
For four months, Akufo-Addo will fly commercially.
The presidential plane will be serviced in France.
Ablakwa dismisses the jet's ability to reach France.
The Foreign Affairs Committee's Ranking Member, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, mocked the announcement on Wednesday, May 25, that the Presidential jet would be serviced in France.
The North Tongu MP mocked the frequently repeated official claim that the plane cannot be used for long-distance flights, a justification for charter flights that the president has used in recent years.
"Ghana's Presidential Jet cannot transport the President to France, but it can be serviced in France."
"Well, let us fast and pray for the safety of our beloved Ghanaian pilots," Ablakwa wrote on his official social media accounts.
Nitiwul confirms that the jet requires maintenance.
The Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, revealed in an interview that the jet would need to be serviced over a four-month period, forcing President Akufo-Addo to take commercial flights.
"By the end of this month, we will not have a presidential jet because the one we have is being re-serviced in France; it's one of the reasons the President will not use it for four to five months," he said in the interview.
He clarified the president's limited use of the jet, saying, "we only advised the President not to use it for very long journeys, but all movements within Africa, all short movements within West Africa, that's the plane the President uses."
Ablakwa's 'battle' with Akufo-luxury Addo's jet travels
Since last year, Ablakwa has championed tenacious reporting on the alleged costs of presidential travel by private jet.
Despite having a presidential jet that is in pristine condition, Akufo-Addo, according to him, prefers ultra-luxury charters.
"President Akufo-Addo has for the umpteenth time ignored the precarious state of the Ghanaian economy and abandoned Ghana's US$36million Presidential Jet in favour of his most cherished ultra-luxury toy — the LX-DIO, which now rents for US$18,000 an hour," Ablakwa revealed in one of his travel posts.
"It is clearly a helpless and expensive addiction that the Ghanaian taxpayer must pay for." The President's latest deception appears to be the most deceptive yet."
The government has defended the presidential jet travels, claiming that the presidential jet was not designed for long-distance flights. Last year, the Presidency announced plans to purchase a new presidential jet.
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