The Member of Parliament for Builsa South has alleged that the president has reached out to the immediate past Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, after she joined retirees picketing over the government’s plan to involve their bonds in its Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
Dr Clement Apaak said that he has information from sources close to the presidency that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has invited the former Chief Justice of Ghana to a vital meeting.
“Deep throat sources have it that President Akufo-Addo has invited former Chief Justice, Sophia Akufo, for an urgent meeting. Don't ask me why, your guess is as good as mine!” a tweet the MP shared on Friday, February 11, 2023, read.
The former Chief Justice of Ghana, Sophia Akuffo, who was appointed by President Akufo-Addo, joined retirees picketing the Ministry of Finance in Accra.
The pensioners have been picketing at the premises of the ministry since Monday, February 6, 2023, over the government’s plan to include their bonds in its Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
Captured in a front-seat position at the premises of the Ministry of Finance, the former Chief Justice has in hand a wooden placard. Her placard read: “We use our bond yields to pay our: rents, medical bills, electricity, water bills.”
She described the government's move to include pensioners in the debt exchange programme as wicked, disrespectful and unlawful and threatened to sue the government if it goes on with it.
According to her, it is wrong for the government, through the Ministry of Finance, to sacrifice pensioners' hard-earned monies to save the government after serving the nation.
While bemoaning the negative impact of the debt exchange programme on pensioners in an interview with GhanaWeb Business, Sophia Akuffo stressed that it was heartbreaking to see her age mates and others older than her go through pain.
"It is very heart-breaking to see people, particularly in my age group, some are older than me, somewhat younger than me but these are all people who have worked very hard. They could have left the country when others were going. They stayed, they worked for the nation.
"I find this wicked, disrespectful, I find it unlawful. I find it totally wrong, period because you don’t solve your problems by sacrificing your aged. That’s the last thing you should do especially when you don't have any services that are actually geared at the comfort and relief of the aged," she said.
View the MP's tweet below:
Deep throat sources have it that President Akufo-Addo has invited former Chief Justice, Sophia Akufo, for an urgent meeting. Don't ask me why, your guess is as good as mine!
— Dr. Clement Abas Apaak (@DrApaak) February 11, 2023
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