Bagbin's 'stammerer' comments 'reckless, infantile' – Group

Alban Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and NDC Flagbearer Hopeful

The Ghana Stammering Association is demanding an apology from Mr Alban Bagbin for stating that the appointment by former President John Mahama, of Dr Edward Omane Boamah, a stammerer, as Minister of Communication, played a role in the party’s defeat in the 2016 elections.

The association said it finds the statement made by the Nadowli-Kaleo MP to be “reckless and infantile.”

“We note with concern that his unguarded attack on the former minister could discourage many stammerers from going into politics and public service.

“It’s against this backdrop that we demand a full apology on behalf of Dr. Omane Boamah from the Nadowli-Kaleo MP while cautioning him to desist from passing comments which have the potential of undermining the intellectual capacities of people with physical impairment,” a statement from the Association said.

The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament told members of the party in the Volta Region that the appointment of Dr Omane Boamah cost the NDC because he could not communicate government’s message well due to his stuttering.

“I learnt from tradition that it is not the chief that speaks, it is the linguist and, so, when you are a leader, you must have a very good linguist.

“When Prof [Atta Mills] was in power, Haruna Iddrisu was our linguist in charge of communication, when my brother John [Mahama] came to power, he substituted him for Dr Omane Boamah who is a natural stammerer.

“He is a very intelligent boy, he is smart but when he is speaking, he wastes time in coming out and Ghanaians do not have that much patience, so, they are always looking for those that are rattling.

“So, even though you might have a good message, you will not succeed in marketing that message because somebody is there from the other side rattling and they are listening to him, so, we came down.

“You didn’t realise it, I studied governance and leadership up to the Master’s [level], so, I have some of these things at hand… They were some of these mistakes that cost us dearly,” he stated.