The fierce woman who once turned down Akufo-Addo and tried to take over from Mahama in Bole Bamboi

Two of the major moves made by Otiko Afisa Djaba in her political life that not much attention has been paid to can only be termed bold ones.

Already known as a fierce feminine force in the political space of the country, the former national organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has not only been in the news in the last 24 hours for no reason.

As has been reported, the leading female member of the NPP has asked the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sit up.

According to her, Ghanaians entrusted their lives and future in the hands of the ruling government when they decided to vote for the NPP in the 2020 elections, and therefore it falls on them to sit up and do better with its decisions.

Her comments come on the back of an outcry by some caterers in the Ashanti Region who have expressed displeasure about the delay in payment of their arrears and the 97 pesewas granted to children.

Otiko Djaba, while voicing her grievances over the response by the government in this matter, said;

“I am very angry with my government. That issues like this, in terms of the caterers, prompt action is not being taken.

“When 1 million people give their votes to you, you must do the right thing by them. This is not about politics, this is about the development of the people, with the people. Giving them the necessary information. Where you cannot meet them, talk to them. They are human beings; they will understand because the NPP is a listening government. These are serious times and we need serious decisions to be taken.

“Food prices are like that all over the world, it's not only Ghana but why are you a leader? You are a leader to solve the problems,” she said.

On the same show on GTV, Otiko Afisa Djaba, who is also a former Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, indicated that she was very happy she turned down an ambassadorial offer from the president.

This was after she was replaced as minister.

The appointment would have seen her go to Italy to represent the country there, but she turned down the offer, describing it today as the “best thing that ever happened to me.”

She explained that with that rejection, she was able to reconnect with her children, who she had not been around for, in a very long time.

But that’s not all that is interesting about this woman’s political life.

In 2008, she won the bid of her party, the NPP, to represent it as a parliamentary candidate in the Bole Bamboi constituency.

In the race, she came second with a vote count of 5,784, representing 32.72%, as against the NDC’s Joseph Akati Saaka, who polled 11,452, representing 64.78%.

That attempt by the former gender minister, was to fill a seat that was once occupied by John Dramani Mahama, who later became president of Ghana.

But who exactly is Otiko Afisa Djaba?

Otiko Afisa Djaba is a Ghanaian politician who was also the former Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection.

Djaba was born on January 21, 1962, to Henry Kojo Djaba and Rosalind Sheila Bawa at Koforidua in the Eastern Region of Ghana. She is the second of twenty-one siblings.

She attended Tamale Senior High School, earned a diploma in communications, and trained as a computer systems analyst.

Otiko Djaba contested for the Bole Bamboi seat in 2008 but lost to the NDC. She then became the women's organizer of the New Patriotic Party.

In 2017, she was appointed Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection. She declined the offer to be Ghana's ambassador to Italy in 2017.

Minority legislators walked out of a voting process to approve Djaba's appointment as Gender, Children, and Social Protection minister collectively stating that "they believe her temperament and attitude does not give assurance that she will be able to better manage the affairs of Ghanaian children and women".

Prior to the 2016 general election in Ghana, Djaba had called on her Gonja tribes-people to vote John Mahama out because he has not been faithful to them, describing him at a political rally in 2016 as “very wicked, incompetent and desperate".

She maintained that her comments were non-provocative and that she did "not owe anybody an apology", continuing to insist on her use of the same language to describe the former president.

Two other concerns were also raised by the opposition legislators: the first was about her violation of The Ghana National Service Scheme Act 426 section 7 which mandates all university graduates do a compulsory one-year national service to the country before taking public office.

The second was around her reiterating the assertion that Charlotte Osei offered sexual favors to Mahama in exchange for her position as Electoral Commission of Ghana chairperson.

Despite opposition members walking out of the secret ballot, Djaba obtained 152 favorable votes in excess of the 50% required to secure her position.

Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba also hosted a television programme on TV3 dubbed “Let’s Talk Ability.”

Otiko is the big sister of former Deputy Minister of Transport, and current aide to President John Dramani Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogtari. She has three children: one boy and two girls.

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