I didn’t pay attention to insensitive comments made about my nomination – Naana Opoku-Agyemang

The first female running mate of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has disclosed how she felt and reacted to the handful of negative and insensitive comments that greeted her nomination as vice-candidate to former President John Dramani Mahama for the 2020 general elections.

Speaking to Nana Aba Anamoah of GHOne TV on her State of Affairs Programme, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said she paid no attention to the negative comments and could therefore not be bothered by them.

“To be very honest I didn’t pay much attention to these things. But you see, when you talk about women you don’t expect all of us to be at the same level, we are not. I think sometimes it betrays a certain psychology. If we are all down there now and you want to rise; it instinctively sends waves of fear amongst some. Not because they don’t like you, but because they are not quite clear what this is all about.

We are all supposed to be on this lane, why are you crossing it? There has to be something wrong. So, if you don’t know why you are crossing that line then you can fall for it and lose confidence. So, whatever they said I think it’s more a betrayal of their own thoughts than what they think they know of me,” she said

Reacting to a statement made by the Communications Director of the New Patriotic Pary, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, who at the time of her nomination announcement said former President Mahama does not take Ghanaians seriously, Madam Opoku-Agyemang described the statement as a pity coming from people within a political party which also has female appointees and elected officials.

“I think is a pity, it is a complete pity that anybody should say so. Especially from a political party that also has women and I think it was a wrong thing to say because he sends a message to the people that they shouldn’t vote for the women in his party. I think that was wrong and that was unnecessary for him to say so.” She added.

In the wake of her nomination as running mate for the opposition NDC, some critics mainly from the ruling NPP went as far as passing disparaging and insensitive comments about Prof. Naana Jane-Opoku Agyemang.

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, well known as Chairman Wontumi described the former Minister of Education under the previous NDC administration as a “wicked woman” who “looks like a witch”.

Speaking on his Kumasi-based Wontumi FM he said, “When you look closely at her face and hair, you will realize that Jane Opoku-Agyemang looks like a witch”; Chairman Wontumi said after initially describing her as a “mallam or juju woman”.