Sam Nartey George, Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, has recently called events involving Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko and former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo as a ‘family fight.’
Sophia Akuffo joined pensioners demanding their total exclusion from government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) with Gabby describing her participation in later tweets as a big error on her part.
Gabby also questioned whether there was the need at all, to engage in a picket over a DDEP that was voluntary according to the Ministry of Finance. Reacting to Gabby’s attack on the former CJ, Sam George, defended Madam Akuffo whiles slamming Gabby for exhibiting arrogance in his reaction to the incident.
Sam George said that the issue was more of a family fight referencing the relationship between both actors and their common relative, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“Under normal circumstances we would have said this ‘ebusua ntokwa’ (family feud), but we can’t leave them because what they’re fighting over is public welfare, public funds, public monies that have been mismanaged. And the arrogance with which Gabby is shouting down the Chief Justice who’s raising critical issues about mismanagement of our economy gets me worried.”
Sam George
Retired CJ Sophia Akuffo, joined the retirees picketing at the Ministry of Finance in Accra late last week. The pensioners have been picketing at the premises of the ministry since Monday, February 6, 2023, over the government’s plan to involve their bonds in the DDEP. Sophia Akufo was captured in a front-seat position at the premises of the Ministry holding a wooden placard. Her placard read: “We use our bond yields to pay our: rent, medical bills, electricity, and water bills.”
Seeing this, Gabby Otchere-Darko, posted tweets challenging the propriety of Madam Akuffo’s actions. According to him, the offer to self-exempt has been given to pensioners, therefore, there is no need to picket when they could just self-exempt.
Obiri Boahen Reacts
Former Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen, has criticized Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko for attacking former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo for participating in the picketing exercise by pensioners.
Obiri Boahen contends that everyone has different viewpoints on various subjects so it is incorrect for Gabby to criticize the former CJ for participating in the February 10th edition of picketing, by pensioners against the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
Obiri Boahen, added that remarks such as the one Gabby made of the former CJ will not benefit the party because they might anger the person involved, thus there is a need for the party to exercise extreme caution while making such comments.
“The former Chief Justice is a human being, if she partakes in a demonstration, I don’t see the reason why people should insult her. She’s a human being and everyone has different opinions. When the issue came up, you can’t blame the Minister of Finance and the government because they’ve made us understand that where things have gotten to, we’re in dire times so there’s the need for everyone’s help.”
Obiri Boahen
He added that neither the Chief Justice, nor the pensioner should be blamed because they have also invested their money and therefore, they hope to enjoy the profits.
“The government is also saying because we’re in crisis they need to adjust things to make the economy better. The government hasn’t committed any crime and the pensioners who also went to do the picketing have not committed any crime. Because picketing is a form of democracy. There is nothing like pulling a gun, knife, or sword in picketing, they just want to express their displeasure.”
Obiri Boahen
Obiri Boahen claimed that he did not see the reason why anyone would attack the former Chief Justice and he did not understand this because, everyone seemed to have been expressing their views. So therefore, there was no motive that pushes one forth to attack the former CJ.
He requested that anyone doing that should refrain from such acts because it was not a good thing to do and he cautioned that everyone should be careful with their communications. “I beg to differ, I don’t agree with him (Gabby Otchere Darko)”, he said.
READ ALSO: Sabotage!! – Henry Quartey Reveals
