[ 2017-02-01 ]

Ms Otiko Afisa Djaba, Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection

NDC rejects Otiko
The minority National Democratic Congress (NDC)
members on Parliament’s Appointments Committee
have voted against the approval of
Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social
Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba.

The minority’s decision was due to purported
‘ill’ comments that the NPP National Women’s
Organizer made about former President John Dramani
Mahama during her vetting a couple of days ago.

Madam Otiko Djaba came under a barrage of
questions from the minority members for her
alleged endorsement of a statement purportedly
made by Kennedy Agyapong to the effect that the
current Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson,
Charlotte Osei, exchanged sex for her appointment
made by former President John Mahama.

But the nominee said she never supported any such
statement by Kennedy Agyapong, NPP Member of
Parliament for Assin Central.

According to her, what she said was that if such a
statement was coming from Mr Agyapong, then the
matter ought to be investigated for the truth or
otherwise to be established and for the EC boss’
name to be cleared.

The Minster-designate for Gender was also
impressed upon by minority members on the
committee, led by their leader, Haruna Iddrisu, to
withdraw certain comments attributed to her on a
campaign trail which sought to impugn the
integrity of former President Mahama.

She was accused of saying on various political
platforms before the elections last year that then
President Mahama is a wicked leader, a liar, a
disgrace to the people of the north and also has
the devil’s heart; but the nominee said she was
not going to withdraw those comments. Otiko Djaba
said she owes no apology to Mr. Mahama.

The minority members, who were not happy with her
stand, recommended for her rejection at the
committee level, but Otiko scaled through by a
majority decision.

However, they are bent on blocking the approval of
the Minster-designate when the MPs debate the
report of the vetting committee. They have decided
to vote against her when she is sent to the floor
of parliament for voting to approve her
nomination, possibly today.

Ms Otiko Afisa Djaba will have to rely on the
majority NPP for her approval before President
Nana Akufo-Addo swears her in.

Meanwhile, the Minister-designate for Monitoring
and Evaluation, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei and
Minister-designate for Regional Re-organization,
Dan Botwe, have been unanimously approved at the
committee level.

These are excerpts of what transpired between
Otiko Djaba and the Committee on Monday.

Suhuyini (NDC MP): Over the past years, it is
known to everyone that you have been very active
in partisan politics, actively campaigning for
Nana Addo who is now the President of the
Republic. During this period, your public
pronouncements have been described by many
Ghanaians as harsh. For instance, you labelled the
former President as having the heart of the devil.
You also described the former President as violent
and an embarrassment to the Northern Region. You
also described the President as being extremely
wicked and violent…Do you accept that your
statement was unfortunate and unpalatable? Will
you now apologise to the former President and to
Ghana for such unsavory comments?

Otiko: The President is my brother and I spoke
from my convictions. I made the statements that I
made as a wake-up call for him. We are building
the nation. He was running for re-election and I
felt that the people who should tell him as it is
were not telling him as it was. They decided that
because he was my brother, they did not want me to
speak and when I talked about him being an
embarrassment, I spoke in relation to SADA. SADA
is very dear to my heart. My mother is a
Northerner, the incidence of poverty is highest in
the three Northern Regions and for a President who
comes from the Northern Region, who promised to
alleviate poverty, what happened to the Guinea
fowls? It was an embarrassment to me and to the
North. The Chiefs of the North actually made that
statement and so I don’t owe him or you any
apology. We are developing and building a nation.

Haruna Iddrisu :You were free to comment on SADA
but those words you used on political platforms
were unsavory. Do you regret this?

Otiko: My comment on the internet was in relation
to SADA…When I talked about his wickedness, the
people of Ghana were asking for dumsor to be
solved; people were losing jobs and so forth.

Haruna Iddrisu: We take a strong objection to
those words you used to describe former President
Mahama. Will you dissociate yourself from those
words?

Otiko: Are you saying we cannot criticize in this
country?

Haruna Iddrisu: Does your right to speak include
your right to insult?

Otiko Djaba: It was not an insult. It was a
criticism and I am allowed as a citizen of Ghana
to criticize the President and these are
descriptive words. It is not an insult.

Haruna Iddrisu: So you want to stand by those
descriptive words that he is evil and wicked?

Otiko Djaba : I did not insult the President, I
criticized him.

Source - Dailyguideafrica.com

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