Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba
The Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus in the Parliament of Ghana has threatened to do whatever they could within their might to ensure that Madam Otiko Djaba is kicked out of office as Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection.
They intend to do this when Parliament returns from recess at the end of May, 2017, if Ms. Djaba fails to resign her post honourably.
In their view, the gross disrespect exhibited by Ms. Djaba towards the elderly in the society is becoming too many to contend with, stressing that it was about time the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, sacks her from office to save the image of the country and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament (MP) for Banda, Hon. Ibrahim Ahmed, who revealed this in an interaction with Akwasi Nsiah on Kasapa 102.5 FM, Wednesday, said the decision of the Minority NDC Caucus is inevitable and there will be no turning back.
“When Otiko was nominated by His Excellency President Akufo-Addo, we in the Minority protested it. We told the President that because she has no respect for the elderly, he should withdraw her nomination else her behavior will dent the image of his administration and the country at large. But the President didn’t listen and the Majority NPP Caucus used their numbers to pass her. Now look at where we are. Her behavior towards Bugri Naabu has provoked the NPP to call for an emergency National Council meeting to take a decision over her. If the President had listened to us, we would have been where we are today,” he noted.
Madam Otiko Djaba’s approval as a Minister of State is being challenged at the Supreme Court with the Plaintiff praying to the court to declare her approval as null and void.
However, the Minority NDC Caucus says they cannot wait for the final determination of the court, maintaining that they would pursue a number of actions to keep the pressure on the President sack Madam Otiko from his government.
“We are expecting that President Akufo-Addo’s call to fight corruption should start from Otiko Djaba. She said that when she went to Tamale, she met NPP women groups. This means that she used state resources to meet these women groups. What is more corruption than this? Are we going to sit down for the NPP to use State resources to manage their party? No, it can’t be. That is why we in the Minority have vowed to ensure that Otiko is kicked out of office,” he posited.
