The Minority Women Caucus in Parliament has condemned some derogatory remarks allegedly made by Mr Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the New Patriotic Party Ashanti Regional Chairman, against Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the running-mate to the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Mr Antwi-Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, was said to have made the remarks to the effect that: “Prof Opoku-Agyeman was secretly married to Mr Mahama and that she originated from the Northern Region, not the Central Region.”
At a press conference in Parliament House on Monday, Madam Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe, the Deputy Minority Whip and Vice Chair of the Female MPs Caucus, gave Mr Antwi-Boasiako a seven-day ultimatum to publicly retract and apologise to Prof Opoku-Agyemang and all women in Ghana.
“The same Ashanti regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Mr Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, made a similar derogatory statement against the good Professor on July 10, 2020, when Mr John Dramani Mahama first nominated her as the NDC running mate in the 2020 general election,” she noted.
“This is unacceptable, and as women in leadership, we condemn these disparaging comments from Mr Bernard Antwi-Boasiako.”
Madam Cudjoe, also the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Ada, describing the alleged comments as disgraceful, said they undermined the integrity of political discourse, which reflected poorly on both Mr Antwi-Boasiako and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
She urged him and the NPP to prioritise addressing the “collapsing economy” and also deliver on their promises to Ghanaians.
“…It is time for Chairman Wontumi, the New Patriotic Party, and the Government to redirect their efforts towards constructive actions that benefit all Champs rather than resorting to divisive rhetoric,” she said.
As representatives of the people and advocates of gender equality, the Caucus needed to stand united in denouncing such reprehensible behaviour and demand strict accountability from those who perpetrated it, she added.
“We call upon Chairman Wontumi and all other individuals who engage in such deplorable conduct to publicly apologise to Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang and refrain from making any further derogatory remarks.”
GNA
ABD
25 March 2024
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