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 a 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 10 edition of picketing by pensioners against the government's Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
Obiri Boahen added that remarks as the one Gabby made of the former CJ won't 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.
Speaking in an interview with Okay FM, Nana Obiri Boahen said “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.”
He added “…now, you can’t also blame the Chief Justice and her pensioners also...because they have also invested their money and 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.
“So, I don’t see the reason why someone should attack the former Chief Justice, I don’t understand. Because everyone is expressing his/her views so why do you attack her? I beg to differ I don’t agree with him (Gabby Otchere Darko).
“…she is just expressing her views, so we shouldn’t do that because if we do that it is not good. We should be careful with our communications,” he lamented.
It may be recalled that Sophia Akuffo, joined the 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 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.”
On the other hand, leading member of the New Patriotic Party, Gabby Otchere-Darko, has stated that the gesture by the former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo to picket at the Finance Ministry together with pensioner bondholders was done in error.
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.
In a series of tweets on February 12, 2023, he wrote: "The former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, may mean well but she erred big time in her basic appreciation of the issues. Rather than asking the Govt for exemption at this late hour, why did she simply not 'exempt' herself from exchanging her original bond for the new one!"
"Why picket over something you don't like (the improved offer) when you have the right not to sign up? Sorry, but I struggle to get her emotional outburst over-exemption! I hope she won't volunteer to picket tomorrow and on the same issues when the time to sign up has expired," he added.
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