Prof Naana Jane’s age remarks: Afenyo-Markin did not attack womanhood – Majority Whip

The Majority Chief Whip of Parliament, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has jumped to the defence of the Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin.

Afenyo-Markin was attacked by members of the Minority Caucus for comments he passed against the running-mate of the National Democratic Congress for the 2024 election, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs) were up in arms when Afenyo-Markin, the MP of Parliament for Effutu, during his closing remarks on the debate on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA), referred to Prof Naana Jane as an old person who failed as education minister.

The Minority Caucus MPs stood up loudly, demanding a retraction and apology from Afenyo-Markin, hence disrupting whatever submissions he was making, forcing the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, who was presiding eventually suspended sitting for an hour.

Reacting to this after the incident which happened on Monday, March 11, 2024, Frank Annoh Dompreh, the MP for Nsawam Adoagyiri, said that the comment passed by the Majority Leader was not an attack on women.

According to him, the NDC MPs are intentionally blowing the issues out of proportion to create the impression that Afenyo-Markin attacked Prof Naana Jane because she is a woman.

Annoh Dompreh added that Afenyo-Markin was only pointing out the records of the former educational minister and also making the point that the NDC is never an alternative.

“Well, we know it's a strategy. First of all, our colleagues should also learn to be tolerant and they should up their sense of tolerance. When Ato Forson and co were speaking we all listened to them. Assuming without admitting that the majority leader has said something which borders on personal attacks on Prof, that's not how to go about it.

“But we will be kind enough and that is how democratic we are. We always show the way. If it is the case that the mention of Prof and age is their problem, we would depart from there,” he said.

He added, “But the fact will be told. The abysmal performance of John Mahama and that administration will continue to expose us. Let nobody begin any crusade that we went on a viral attack on womanhood, that we would never do”.

What Afenyo-Markin said:

The Majority Leader said that NDC presenting Prof Naana Jane as its running mate shows that they have no plan for the future of the country because she is in her 70s.

“Mr Speaker, it is the same old NDC. It is the same old John Mahama. Mr Speaker perish the thought, should he even get the opportunity, he has only four years constitutionally. Mr Speaker, there will be no sense of urgency in him because he has nothing to lose.

“Even if you look at his choice of running mate, he could not get somebody that one could say that they are planning for the future. The person is over 70 years old,” he said

"There is no succession plan. Mr Speaker, from day one, the government will be in crisis. Mr Speaker, they went to pick a very old person who could not perform at the Education Ministry,” he added.

BAI/OGB

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