'Saint' Martin Amidu left badly injured

More and more people continue to see something wrong with the gestures and utterances of Special Prosecutor nominee, Martin Amidu, during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday.

Most of the verdict from the exercise, leaves the nominee badly injured and heavily limping into job, which the Akufo-Addo government has said is the panacea to the countries battle against corruption.

The Director of the Centre for European Studies at the University of Ghana (UG), Professor Ransford Gyampo, is among the many who have pronounced a negative verdict on the nominee.

According to him, the youth who are seeking for job should not emulate the conduct of Martin Amidu, to their job interviews, as they risk remaining jobless, no matter their excellent qualification.

He explained that, Martin Amidu, was purely disrespectful towards PAC during his vetting on Tuesday.

“The vetting committee is not a place to blow your own horn and show disrespectful gestures. To the youth if you adopt this attitude at some interview no matter how qualified or brilliant you are, you’ll not be employed. In a way, the composure and mannerism of Martin Amidu was not the best, I found it quite disrespectful to the vetting committee.”

Professor Gyampo, stated that, Mr. Amidu, despite his knowledge in the subject area was disrespectful to the committee with his mannerisms and that should be condemned.



Reacting to Mr. Amidu’s posture during his vetting on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, on Accra FM, Professor Gyampoh, said the nominee was arrogant.

“We all know his level of intelligence, but his mannerisms were bad and he wanted to prove he knew better than all of them,” he said.

He said: “He (Amidu) demonstrated he was on top of issues but no matter how brilliant you are, no matter how intelligent you may be, when you appear before a committee or a group of people for an interview or to be vetted, you have to maintain a composure which is very calm but at the same time will not make you a walk over.

Touching on the vetting in general, Professor Gyampoh, said the exercise was commendable.

“Overall it was a healthy interaction, the questions were probing and he [Amidu] had intelligent responses to those questions. If that was the yardstick to determine the win against the fight against corruption, then we’ll go places in the fight against corruption. I commend the committee and the nominee for the intelligent manner in which he answered those questions.”



The Assin Central Member of Parliament (MP), Ken Agyapong, has also called on the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, to call Martin Amidu, to order for exhibiting signs of arrogance.

Ken Agyapong, insisted that, Martin Amidu, has started showing signs that he ‘is very arrogant and a man full of bitterness’.

“Martin Amidu is very arrogant, very very arrogant, look at the kind of arrogance he is demonstrating at the vetting committee? He just can’t take a simple joke…,” he said on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen shortly after last Tuesday’s vetting.

Kennedy Agyapong, believes that the Special Prosecutor nominee, has not shown signs that he is prepared to work with a “free mind.”

He thus called on the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, to call the nominee to order as his arrogance is choking lots of people.

“What kind of bitterness is that? Even some of us who were charged with treason and could have been sentenced to death if we were found guilty, we don’t harbor such bitterness….so he must be called to order,” he said.

According to Kennedy Agyapong, Martin Amidu, will give the NPP Government lots of problems if the powers that be, fail to ‘tame’ him.

“All he has to do is just to call one appointee or the other for investigations and the NDC will begin trumpeting that there is corruption in this administration, he is going to be the beginning of Akufo-Addo’s troubles…,” Ken said further.

Asked if he was criticizing Martin Amidu because he feared he will be investigated by the Special Prosecutor, Ken said he did not fear him because “I have not engaged in any corrupt act.”

“I am only telling the truth, the man is too bitter and that is not the way to go,” he said.



“That man will collapse NPP, mark my words. I have had that intuition. My instincts are not wrong. God has given me that gift and I thank Him. When I see something, it happens. He has pain in him”, the MP thundered.

“Me, I would have walked him out straight if I were chairman of the committee. Look at his arrogance towards Haruna’s joke. He cannot be investigating cases with his emotion and bitterness. The way he embarrassed Haruna over the Builsa way joke exposed his arrogance. It was not good. If the President watched, he should call him and talk to him. I repeat, it won’t work. That arrogance he portrayed over there, I am justified about him. And I hate his pretentious smiling. Who will buy that, after he embarrassed Haruna?”, Ken asked.

“He is not a good choice”, he told listeners of “Ekosii Sen” last Tuesday, afternoon.

This is not the first time the NPP MP, has spoken about the appointment of ex-Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Martin Amidu, as the Special Prosecutor.

The politician who is close to President Nana Akufo Addo, had earlier, reprimanded his party members for rejoicing over a “bitter” Martin Amidu.

He said on Adom TV’s Badwam programme: “Celebrate Martin Amidu, he will soon come after the very party that appointed him. Martin Amidu is like Circus training based on Animal Flow Workouts. You train the animal and one day, one day it will attack and kill its owner. That is what will happen” he revealed on Adom TV.



“Ghanaians are jubilating Martin Amidu. Wow! Because of what Ghanaians want I will not comment. You know how animals are trained in ciruits, don’t you? We live in this country to see one day… I shall be vindicated. They do not know what is ahead of them. Go ahead and hail Amidu. The Man who made him a Minister see how he embarrassed him and now a prosecutor? No further comment”, he had added.

Meanwhile, Minority Chief Whip in Parliament, Mohammed Mubarak-Muntaka, has disclosed that the Appointments Committee will today Friday, February 16, submit its recommendations to have Martin Amidu approved as Special Prosecutor.

The Appointments Committee by a majority decision, recommended his confirmation moments after its grueling 7-hour public hearing exercise.

Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, has confirmed he dissented on the approval of the Martin Amidu, because he believes the man is allowing rage to consume him.

But Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak in a Citi FM interview, said frantic efforts are being made to have the confirmation done today.



The Special Prosecutor nominee responded to over 180 questions from all members of the committee in the over 7-hour long session. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority asked the most questions; 75percent of all questions asked, with the caucus’ leader, Haruna Iddrisu, being the individual who asked the most number of questions.

Most of the questions focused on past statements and articles Martin Amidu had written. He failed to substantiate his claims of corruption and stealing against John Dramani Mahama and members of his government calling his claims mere advocacy and activism.

He could also not substantiate allegation that a plot had been hatched the previous government to have the 2016 election elections rigged by the Electoral Commission boss Charlotte Osei for ex-President Mahama.

There is, however, a pending suit at the Supreme Court by NDC member and former Deputy Attorney General, Dominic Ayine, challenging Amidu’s nomination.

The MP for Bolga East, argues that Mr. Amidu, 66, has passed the age that requires him to serve in that office.