Sylvester Tetteh, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro, has alleged that the government has spent more than $12 billion in less than two years to artificially manage the strength of the Ghanaian cedi.

Tetteh made the claim while criticising the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration's economic management, characterising the multi-billion-dollar expenditure as an expensive public relations exercise rather than a sustainable economic strategy.

According to the former lawmaker, the massive injection of foreign exchange was deployed specifically to shape public perception ahead of reality.

"Over $12 billion in less than two years have been used to do propaganda to shore up the strength of the cedi," Tetteh alleged, as the cedi trades at GHS11.55 to a dollar.

The NPP stalwart questioned the prudence of using such vast national resources to temporarily stabilise the local currency, arguing that the expenditure has failed to address the fundamental structural issues of the economy or create sustainable relief for ordinary Ghanaians.

Tetteh was speaking to the media on what he framed as an unlawful arrest of former Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD) Executive Secretary Dennis Edward Aboagye, popularly known as "Miracles," as part of an elaborate intimidation tactic. He warned the NDC should remember that "the elephant never forgets," evoking to the NPP's symbol.

He said President John Mahama's administration was doing a "terrible job," and was using the periodic arrests to silent critics and simultaneously distract the public.