Bagbin must apologise to NDC and Mahama – Allotey Jacobs demands

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) as a party and former president John Dramani Mahama needs a special apology from aspiring presidential candidate of the party and the party’s lawmaker for Nawdoli-Kaleo, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin

Central Regional Chairman of the NDC, Bernard Allotey Jacobs has insisted the recent public apology rendered by the Nadowli /Kaleo Mugabe is not enough to appease the party and the former president

“NDC also needs an apology from Badgin for calling Dr. Omane Boamah and Dr. Seidu Daana as a stammerer and blind person respectively”, he demanded.

According to him, the Hon Alban Sumana Bagbin as an astute politician haven apologized to Persons with Disability, must again render a special apology to the NDC party and the former President who appointed the two to serve as Communications Minister and Chieftaincy Minister respectively, adding that the apology to the disabled is not enough.

“President John Mahama appointed the two so if Bagbin attacks them, it is the party he has attacked so we want him to apologise to John Mahama and the party”, Allotey Jacobs spoke on Accra based Peace FM during a panel discussion monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

Background

Mr Bagbin in his recent visit to the Volta Region launched unprovoked attacks on some former appointees of the John Dramani Mahama administration.

He was reported to have said the appointments of former Deputy Minister in charge of tertiary education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, former Minister for Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, Dr Henry Seidu Daanaa and former Communications Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah cost the party the 2016 elections.

Mr Bagbin’s arguments were that Mr Ablakwa’s appointment though he is an intelligent young man, was misplaced.



“We had very good material in our last government but the placement was wrong. Look at my son-in-law Ablakwa; brilliant handsome young man but he had problems before he got his certificate at Legon. You recall they almost rusticated him.

In the case of Dr Omane Boamah, he said “It is not the chief that speaks, it is a linguist…and so when you are a leader, you must have a good linguist. When Prof was in power, Haruna Iddrisu was our linguist in charge of communications right”, he asked party communicators in the Volta Region.

Continuing his argument he said “When my brother John came to power he substituted him for Dr Omane who is a natural stammerer….who is a natural stammerer”, he repeated.



He observed that the refusal by the then President to reshuffle the Chieftaincy Minister also cost the party saying “there were some of these mistakes that cost us dearly. Let me cite another example, in our tradition if you are not whole can you be a chief or queenmother? So if you form a government and make the minister of Chieftaincy a blind person and the chiefs are objecting and you don’t change him what are you telling the chiefs”, he asked party communicators during his tour of the Volta Region to solicit the support of delegates”

There have been calls for him to appear before the disciplinary committee of the party over the comments but Mr Kofi Adams, the Party’s National Organiser on a Kumasi-based radio station monitored by MyNewsGh.com denied the party has summoned Mr. Bagbin.