NDC slams ‘weak’ Akufo-Addo’s handling of Otiko and Naabu scuffle

The Minority in Parliament has slammed President Akufo-Addo for being weak in sanctioning Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister Otiko Djaba and the Northern Regional chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu, after their embarrassing public feud.

According to the Minority, the president’s failure to order the Inspector General of Police to arrest Otiko and the Upper East regional minister for questioning after they were accused of masterminding the murder of Adams Mahama, the late Upper East regional chairman of the NPP contradicts his pledge to uphold the constitution.

The Minority’s discomfort comes in the wake of a directive by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to the two feuding party members to apologize in writing for their humiliating conduct.

The ruling NPP after a crunch meeting Wednesday night reprimanded the two over their recent feud in public.

At the meeting that was held at Alisa Hotel in Accra the party’s National Council “expressed strong disapproval and regret against the actions and utterances” of the two leading party members.

“Even though the two apologized profusely, the meeting severely reprimanded them and bonded them to be of good behaviour. They were also asked to put their apologies into written statements,” a statement issued by the acting General Secretary of the party John Boadu after the meeting announced.

The two clashed on Friday after Naabu scuttled a meeting being held by Otiko in the Northern region of Ghana. Since then their alternations have led to name calling and wild allegations against each other.

They have both apologized over the public outburst with Naabu confessing his allegations against Otiko about her alleged involvement in the murder of Adams Mahama – the late Upper East regional chairman of the NPP – are baseless.

But commenting on the development Thursday in an interview with Starr News, the opposition National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Clement Apaak derided the directive, describing it as a tacit endorsement of their uncouth conduct in public.

For him Naabu’s allegations are serious and that the President’s posture is regrettable.

“The attempt by the NPP and the Presidency to downplay the implications of the pronouncement made by Bugri Naabu and Otiko Djaba and as far as good governance and security of our nation is concerned cannot be tolerated,” angrily sounding Presidential Staffer in the erstwhile NDC administration bellowed.

“Do they think that Ghanaians are a bunch of kindergarten students? Since when did Bugri Naabu’s statements become acceptable as slip of tongue? Is it the first time that he had spoken? What slip of tongue takes over eight minutes with emphasis on a specific issue? These are not serial callers. They are two heavyweights in the NPP. This a regional party chairman accusing two of the president’s appointees of knowing about the murder of Adams Mahama, the late Upper East regional chairman.

“It has implications. We can’t accept the excuse that it is a slip of tongue. What is their definition of a slip of tongue? Party apology does not take that away. Apologizing does not exonerate him from those comments as far as his role as president of the republic of Ghana is concerned we expect him to uphold and defend the constitution,” he added.