Akomea Falls On Otiko’s Back

The director of communications of the NPP, Nana Akomea, has confirmed NPP’s agenda to encourage members who attack the chairperson of the Electoral Commission as part of their strategies to blame her for defeat in this year’s Presidential elections.

Nana Akomea, considered by a section of the public as one of NPP’s few leaders decorous in their altercations on radio and TV lost a huge opportunity to save his image and that of his party which is becoming notorious for deliberate attacks and threats on personalities.

Nana Akomea was contributing to a discussion on Metro TV on his party’s National Women’s Organizer, Otiko Afisa Djaba’s call for investigations into allegations that the EC Chair, Mrs Charlotte Osei earned her position after a sexual encounter with the President John Dramani Mahama.

Otiko Dzaba’s loose comment has been condemned by some female politicians and high level professionals surprised at the position taken by a fellow woman.

Mr Akomea initially sought to rationalize the unfortunate comment by the NPP Women’s Organizer by explaining that she does not subscribe to the insult on the personality of the married EC boss, but host of Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana, Randy Abbey pushed him to the wall by reading the transcript of her telephone interview on Accra-based Class FM.

Embarrassed and thorn between the party’s position and openly condemning Otiko Djaba, Nana Akomea sarcastically asked, “how do you investigate if someone has slept with somebody? That’s my difficulty. Even if you thought there is some truth in it, how does the BNI investigate this kind of relationship?”

Randy probed further, in an attempt to push Nana Akomea to do what many expected.

RANDY: But you call for investigations if you think there is an iota of truth in it. What it means is that she is elevating the thing from mere whispering, rumour mongering, careless and reckless talk to something she believes has some basis and therefore ought to be investigated.

NANA AKOMEA: Well, I don’t know why. Maybe she has some basis.

RANDY: But that’s pea-brain talk.
Nana Akomea however surprised many when he interjected and accused Randy of using harsh words on Otiko Djaba. His response resulted in a brief banter with Randy Abbey who insisted that the NPP Women’s Organizer had belittled her intelligence.

Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Editor of the Insight newspaper who also contributed to the discussion described the accusation as anti-woman, backward and extremely reckless. He said the academic qualification of the learned EC Chairperson is far better qualified than those who have joined the attacks on her personality.

Otiko Djaba who incidentally is a relative of the President is struggling for recognition in her own party after she seemed to have been sidelined on suspicion that she is a mole. Otiko Djaba is partly from Somanya in the Eastern region and Bole in the Northern region, and has been known to be related to the family of President John Mahama.

After the 2012 elections she was accused of spying for her nephew, the President. In October 2014, she came under pressure when her blood sister, Dede Djaba alleged that the party’s flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, was once arrested at the Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom (UK) for drug offences. Dede Djaba, a Lawyer based in the UK, came under a barrage of attacks for her revelation.

An outspoken NPP MP, Ursula Owusu Ekuful has also publicly backed the Assin North MP, Kennedy Agyapong, who first made the allegation. She has also attacked female government appointees who have taken on the foul mouth Assin North MP.

Last week, a group of queen mothers embarked on a demonstration demanding that Parliament’s Privileges Committee summons Kennedy Agyapong for questioning. Interestingly, NPP Women’s Caucus in parliament declined to join other MPs to receive their petition.

Political analysts say Akufo-Addo and NPP’s reluctance to condemn the reckless statement will obviously cause them in the 2016 elections.