Stan Dogbe To Leave Flag Staff House?

As the November 7 election gathers momentum, fired up President, John Dramani Mahama is leaving no stone unturned as he gears up to announce further changes in his administration.

The impending changes, information reaching the The aL-hAJJ indicates, will see some ministers and their deputies swapping positions or being shown the exit. It will also focus on the Flagstaff House itself with some well-known appointees being reassigned.

Notable among the reinvigoration of the Mahama administration is, the return to government of the immediate past National Security Coordinator, Lt Col Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, sources at the seat of government have hinted this paper.

However, the headline change that is set to rock the “big house” is the imminent reassignment of controversial Presidential Staffer, Stan Xose Dogbe.

Although it is not yet clear where Stan, as he is affectionately called, will be reassigned, The aL-hAJJ has gathered that the scandal prone presidential staffer’s impending exit from the seat of government is not unconnected to a petition fronted by the Media Foundation for West Africa demanding disciplinary action against him for assaulting a GBC journalist.

Some 155 other journalists from over 40 media organizations across Ghana joined the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) to petition President John Dramani Mahama last year to demand sanctions against Stan Dodge.

The petition, dated September 30, 2015, follows Stan Dogbe’s alleged assault of Yahayah Kwamoah, a journalist with state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in an incident described by many as, shameful and embarrassing.

The Presidential staffer was reported to have seized and destroyed the journalist’s recording equipment at the 37 military hospital.

The GBC journalist had gone to the hospital to follow-up on developments surrounding the Presidential press corps reportedly involved in an accident that left one journalist dead and others seriously injured.

The presidency, however, in a response to the petition dated November 10, 2015 but was delivered on January 25, 2016, acknowledged receipt of the letter and said “His Excellency has taken note of the concerns raised in the letter. He wishes me to assure the Media Foundation that due attention would be paid to the matter in the interest of protecting the reputation of the Presidency,” the letter from the President’s secretary, Kwesi Quartey and also copied to the NMC stated.

Sources at the seat of government told this paper that President Mahama “attached so much importance to the petition when his attention was drawn to it and he has made it clear that steps will be taken not to give the presidency a bad image”

In line with this, the president, sources say, has earmark Stan Dogbe, who is reported to have arrogated to himself so much powers, for reassignment as a sign of punishment.

Some governance experts have warned that if the President does not take steps to act on Stan Dogbe’s intransigent and the harsh treatment of his colleague journalist, he could be cited in the US State Department annual report on global human rights abuse.

Stan Dogbe’s exit from his present position, Flagstaff House sources say, will be announced in the ongoing reshuffle in the coming days which will also see Lt Col Gbevlo Lartey making it to the Flag Staff House.

Others also likely to be affected with the yet-to-be announced shakeup are ministers, deputy ministers, Chief Executives of state institutions and some board members, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives and CEOs of some financial institutions and parastatals among others.