My mother, Ama Benyiwa Doe did not kill my father, Jerry Doe as alleged by one Dennis Doe- Vormavor in December 5, 2010 and January 21, 2011 articles on the Ghanaweb. My dad is not dead and has been living in Accra for the past decade. The stories being pandered by Vormavor, who is not related to us, are totally false and should be dismissed by all readers as nothing more than the unbridled dribbling of a mad man.

Generally, I would not comment on such drivel but such stories if left unchecked have the potential of damaging the reputation of a good person. Once they are published in the electronic media they grow wings and are circulated far and wide. Many people do not vet the stories but just accept whatever they read as true. For example, many other falsehoods have been circulated about my mother’s house in East Legon and about us her children, making her seem like a heartless man-hating and corrupt politician. She is none of the above but a loving mother and public servant.

I know many of you good readers are by now fed up with these stories. However, kindly indulge me to respond to some of the specific quotes of Vormavor’s allegations and thereby end this charade once and for all:

“I and the family of Mr Doe in Keta (V.R) are dumbfounded when we read a response through the Lawyers of Mrs Benyiwa Doe to the Ghana Media Commission in the Ghanaian Daily Guide newspaper on Monday, January 17, 2011 denying with arrogance that She (Benyiwa Doe) “Did not Kill Her Husband Mr Doe”.

My mother has been married only once and to my father. My father’s family does not come from Keta but from Wusuta in the Kpandu District. We are not related to any Vormavor’s or Doe’s from Keta so Vormavor must be talking about someone else or he just fabricated the whole thing to gain cheap popularity. Further, Dennis Doe- Vormavor is not related to us the Does in anyway. Until this article we did not even know such a person existed. He is an imposter and should be treated by all as such.

“Since my statement was published that she killed her husband (my uncle) with a poison in Nigeria in the 1980’s, poison which a pathologist report confirmed that high doses of rat poison was found in Mr Doe’s bloodstream”.

My father has never been poisoned or hospitalized all the time we lived in Nigeria. And as I said earlier on he is not dead but lives in Accra.

“Though I am a resident in Glasgow UK I am prepared to come down to Ghana with more credible evidence and as a witness to show that indeed Ama Benyiwa Doe killed my uncle, provided my safety and security can be guaranteed by the state.”

Who cares where Vormavor is resident. He is apparently trying to build a case to try to claim asylum in the UK. He is not related to us the Does and my father, the “Mr. Doe” being referred to is alive. If he has any proof to the contrary I challenge him to post his death certificate and the pathology report for all to see. If he is truly a lawyer that he claims to be he should know that when you accuse someone, the burden of proof is on you the accuser and not the accused.

“In fact, it is rather unfortunate that one woman who could have even testified before I do so is late honourable Hawa Yakubu who was with Madam Benyiwa in Nigeria during that time but died mysteriously. So now, who poisoned Honourable Hawa Yakubu at the party?”

Our family never knew Hawa Yakubu in Nigeria in the 1980’s. If Vormavor had done his research well, he would have realized that Hawa Yakubu is said to have died of cancer and not poisoning less than 10 years ago. My mother was nowhere near her when she died.

“Is Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe not living with her late husband’s child in Ghana after poisoning Mr Doe to death?”

My mother, Ama Benyiwa Doe has four children. I am the oldest and I am 39 years old. I live in California. The second child, my sister is 35 years old and is living in New Jersey. My two remaining siblings live with my mum in Ghana. They are both less than 15 years old so who is this mystery “late husband’s child” living with my mother that Vormavor is referring to. Vormavor apparently cannot calculate. Any child born in the 1980s should be between 20 - 30 years old. None of us Ama Benyiwa Doe’s children are between that age.

“Mrs Ama Benyiwa used to work at the University of Ghana, Legon administration as a typist and got married to my uncle who was also a lecturer at the university. Eventually, Mr and Mrs Doe moved to settle in Nigeria in the 1980s.”

My mother worked at Legon as an accounting officer and was never a typist. My father was never a lecturer at Legon. My parents lived in Nigeria in the late 1970s and returned to Ghana in 1983. One of the main reasons for moving back to Ghana was so that I could go to Achimota School. My mother did not enter national politics until 1992 when she became a member of parliament and then in 1993 appointed deputy minister of state.

Finally, I wish to use this forum to address the notion that when someone is a “typist” or “taxi-driver” or “dishwasher” he cannot be a minister of state. Let us learn to be appreciative of people who may not be as educated as we are because they also serve a purpose in this life and many of them work really hard. If they have been elected by the people or appointed by an elected president who are we to look down on them?

Dear reader, I would not waste any more of your time trying to debunk what is clearly the rantings of a lunatic. Suffice it to say that my mother Ama Benyiwa Doe never poisoned nor murdered my father Jerry Doe who is alive today and living his life in Accra. As for Dennis Vomavor, his writings ought to be dismissed outright and he ought to apologize to the people of Ghana and the readers of Ghanaweb for having deceived them and spreading lies.

Thanks,
Steve R.K. Doe, PhD, PE
Senior Engineer/Project Manager, Water
AECOM
1360 East Spruce Avenue, Suite # 101 , Fresno, CA 93720
www.aecom.com