Otiko lied under oath – Yieleh Chireh

Otiko Afisa Djaba, Minister-designate of Gender, Children and Social Protection, lied under oath about when she last spoke to her mother when she appeared before the Appointments Committee of parliament, Wa West MP Joseph Yieleh Chireh has said.

According to the lawmaker, that, and the fact that Ms Djaba did not do her national service, were reasons the Minority were against her approval to become a minister.

The Minority argued on the floor of parliament on Friday February 3 that not participating in a one-year service to the nation after her undergraduate studies at the University for Development Studies disqualified her from holding public service although the Appointments Committee as a whole recommended Ms Djaba and other nominees for approval by majority decision. This comes despite Ms Djaba’s refusal to apologise for describing former President John Mahama as “evil, wicked” and “an embarrassment” to people of the regions up north.

Justifying why Ms Djaba does not deserve to be made minister of state, Mr Chireh told Citi FM’s Richard Sky in an interview: “She lied under oath when she said that she had seen or talked to the mother a week to the election. These are all issues we are talking about.”

Asked if he had any proof Ms Djaba lied about talking to her mother, the lawmaker said: “I’m saying that she lied on oath…I am not sending her to court for perjury, but I’m saying that we should vote on her... If you listened to her response, anytime she was asked when was the last time you spoke to your mother, she said: ‘Is that an issue?’ three times until the chairman directed her to answer the question. What I’m saying is we want a Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection to be a family woman. One who holds family dear, particularly the mother, dear; she didn’t show that.”

Meanwhile, other Ministers-designate including Samuel Atta Akyea – Works and Housing, Dan Botwe – Regional Reorganisation, Ignatius Baffour Awuah – Roads and Highways, John Peter Amewu – Lands and Natural Resources, Anthony Akoto-Osei – Monitoring and Evaluation, were all approved by the house.