<<Print>>

The leadership of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been urged to find ways of counselling the Member of Parliament for Assin Central constituency, Kennedy Agyapong, over his comments that the Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana, Charlotte Osei got the job after offering sexual favours.

The Executive Director of Ark Foundation, a women’s right civil society organisation, Angela Dwamena-Aboagye believes such counselling could make Mr Agyapong refrain from making such unfortunate, defaming and character assassinating comments.

Speaking in an interview with Prince Minkah, host of the Executive Breakfast Show (EBS) on Class 91.3FM on Wednesday June 29, Mrs Dwamena-Aboagye said: “I think it is most unfortunate, he should not have said things like that. It equals assassination of character, it is defamation, it is scandalous and should not be heard from a leader of a country. I think it is very wrong.”

She added: “I don’t want us to do the usual partisan politics we do in Ghana with issues, we should tackle it head-on as it is. I will want to see that leaders in this country, cutting across the political, religious, traditional divide, would say something about this, will actually not only make statements about it, but find ways of counselling the honourable MP, find ways of reaching him and to let him know that his leadership is actually showing people the wrong way.

“You don’t use somebody’s character …even if you can prove it, you don’t say things like this in public about the people, who have been appointed into honourable offices, who will be able to rule this country …what kind of country will we have if we all stand on public platforms and say the kind of things that people have been up to, so he is totally out of order.”

She further told host Minkah: “I will want to go beyond just the political party he belongs to …but also to other leaders of this country because this is not just about Charlotte Osei, I’m sure Dr Afari Gyan [former Chair of the EC] did many things we all disagreed with, one way or the other, but nobody talked about sexual escapade, why is it that this is done to women and it is not just in this country.”