Bigamy MP Explodes

WHY I SACKED MY WIFE
*She brought me gono, got impregnated by another man and offered free sex to my priest

The controversial Member of Parliament (MP) for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Mr P. C. Appiah-Ofori, says charges of bigamy against him by his lawfully wedded wife have no merit because their marriage has long broken down and the two of them have been separated beyond the stipulated period necessary for their marriage to be considered null and void.

He described the marriage as over, noting that for almost 11 years we have been living in my house at Dome without any husband-and-wife relationship, and accused the wife of some heinous offences in an explosive interview on the issue, insisting that the woman lacks virtue.

In his own words, his wife, Rebecca Appiah-Ofori (nee Brown) once infected him with a sexually transmitted disease by exporting gonorrhea from Ghana to him in Nigeria during his sojourn in that country.

She also got impregnated by another man while he was under look and key in a guardroom under the Rawlings administration which had kept him there for expressing his opinion on some officials of the then administration, he claimed, admitting that he aborted the pregnancy for her because he was not responsible for the pregnancy.

He also accused the woman of offering unsolicited sex and attempting to seduce a guest of his, who happened to be a Methodist priest from his constituency during the period of their separation and at their shared storey building home at Dome, a suburb of Accra.

“She has not been my wife over the past 11 years,” he said in response to whether he has formally divorced her.

“I fired her because l found her to be not faithful. When l was at Bibiani, when l was the chief accountant, l had some clash with the Rawlings administration when l accused the government of surrounding itself with thieves. Those, l mentioned as the thieves, got me arrested and dumped in a guardroom. By the time l came (out) this woman was pregnant, so I took her to hospital to remove it because l knew l didn’t do it.

“When l was in Nigeria, l bought ticket for her to come to me every term because she was a teacher. One of the occasions when she came, she came with gonorrhea. I said enough is enough, so l returned to Ghana and informed the parents, the mother in particular, who was angry and agreed with that l should dissolve the marriage her, but she advised me not to give it publicity, so l removed her and for the past 11 years there has been no relationship between us as husband and wife.”

“She’s not my wife. As far as l am concerned she is not my wife”, he told JOY FM in an interview Saturday in response to a Daily Graphic news story that same day on allegations that without severing the marriage between him and his wife, he has married and brought another woman to their shared matrimonial home.

But the MP, who is best known for his critical opinion on his own ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), had more explosive allegations to make against the woman who has given him three children – a medical doctor, a pharmacist and a lawyer – over the past 37 years of marriage.

“About eight-nine years ago, a Methodist Reverend, a Methodist priest, who was a chaplain at Asikuma Odoben Brakwa, the Asikuma Secondary School, called Reverend Paa Grant Essilfie, came to me with a request from the Methodist church for me to donate for them to finance their funeral. It was late so l kept him here overnight and he slept in my guest room.

While he was here in the guest room and while my former wife wasn’t staying on the ground floor, dead in the night she went and knocked on the door and offered herself to the Reverend for sex. The following morning the Reverend said aah, Honourable, l now understand. This is what she did and l now believe that what you did is right.”

According to him, any man who would keep a wife who transmits ‘gono’ to the husband is Jesus Christ’s younger brother; which he isn’t.

Any man who continues to harbour a wife who gets impregnated by another man and goes to abort it himself and would continue to live with her must be re-examined, he further noted.

In his view, the marriage broke down years ago and by every statue on the law books, the marriage has broken down by virtue of the years of separation between him and the wife.

He claimed his efforts to have his wife move and take one of two houses he built during their marriage have failed because the woman does not want to move.

He, however, admitted living with a mistress, saying he was waiting for Rebecca to pack out of his life before he would formally marry the new woman. For now, she only lives and cook for him, he explained.

Immediate efforts as of press time yesterday to get in touch with Rebecca on the allegations raised by her estranged husband proved futile.

But the Daily Graphic in its report on the issue last Saturday quoted her as having stated that their marriage turned sour about 10 years ago when P C Appiah-Ofori returned from Nigeria with his mistress, with whom he has been appearing at public events and stealthily went to perform knocking rites for her.

According to Mrs Appiah-Ofori, the MP began behaving strangely and "started accusing me of infidelity and other untruths".

"It was as if he was under a spell."

She said following the strange behaviour of her husband, she brought in the Methodist Church family pastor, but to no avail.

According to Mrs Appiah-Ofori, when her husband became an MP in 2001, he drove her out of their bedroom into another room in the house. "Soon after, he brought this woman into our home and for over four years, this woman sleeps at my place in my house and in the full glare of everyone.

"I am still married to him by the Marriage Ordinance Cap. 127. Since I realised four years ago that he did not love me, I have continuously urged him to divorce me, but he has refused. I still love him, even though he despises me," she added.

The Daily Graphic quoted Mr. Appiah-Ofori as having acknowledged his marriage to Rebecca, under the customarily process in 1970 and under the Ordinance 14 years later.