I'm sorry for calling you a nonentity - Cletus Avoka apologizes to Ato Forson

Cletus Avoka, the spokesperson of the Minority Members of Parliament opposed to the installation of Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and four others as new leaders of the NDC caucus in Parliament has apologized to Dr Cassiel Ato Forson after he used a denigrating word on him.

The Member of Parliament for Zebilla, in his protest of the decision by the National Executive Council of the NDC to reshuffle the leadership team in parliament, fumed that the timing for the move was wrong as the party was looking to make a hero out of a nonentity.

“This is not the time to make nobody a somebody, this is not the time to make nobody a somebody, this is the time to galvanize all of us to fight the NPP so that we can win elections, not to make heroes out of nonentities, this is not the time,” Mr Avoka said on Tuesday.

But in an interview with Citi FM on Thursday, January 27, 2022, Cletus Avoka admitted that his comment was distasteful.

He conceded that his statement was disrespectful of Ato Forson and that never sought to impugn his reputation in any way.

“I will be the last person to say that and if I said that then it was an error. What I wanted to say was that this is not the time to drop somebody and elevate another. This is what I was trying to say and if in the process I said something different, I must apologise and I am very sorry. I cannot denigrate any of my colleagues.”

General Secretary of the NDC on January 23 sent a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin disclosing some changes in its leadership in parliament.

A former deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has been appointed as the Minority Leader, as a replacement for Haruna Iddrisu.

Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has also been named as the new deputy Minority Chief Whip. Kwame Agbodza takes over as Chief Whip. Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the first deputy Minority Chief Whip, while Comfort Doyo Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is the second deputy Minority Chief Whip.

The announcement has highlighted the deep cracks in the minority with MPs adopting entrenched positions for and against the move by the National Executive Council.

It is believed that over 70 MPs have petitioned the party to reverse it decision whereas a host of others have declared their support for the party’s decision.