It's an insult for a Minister to tell his President to act - MP aspirant

PPP Parliamentary Candidate for Efutu, Nana Owusu Ofori says the signing of a petition book by some topnotch personalities in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is an affront to the President.

Following the jailing of the three Montie FM contemnors, some supporters and high-profile members of the ruling party have been signing a book to petition President John Dramani Mahama to invoke his powers under Article 72 of Ghana's constitution.

Article 72 grants the President the powers to pardon offenders or reprieve their custodial sentence.

The members of the party have expressed their resentments over the Supreme Court ruling, describing the Judges' verdict as harsh.

Addressing the issue on Kokrokoo on Peace FM, Nana Owusu Ofori noted that the action taken by government appointees is a slap in the face of the President. He wonders if the NDC and its activists will be singing the same tune had the culprits been members of a different political party.

“It is saying that the President is not acting and so they’re helping him to take his decision to act, and invoke Article 72. This is truly unprecedented…Because it’s NDC party members who are asking for the invocation of Article 72 which means that the Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice are partial.”

Nana Owusu Ofori, who is also the PPP's Director of Elections, called on the petitioners to stop "insulting" President John Mahama.

“A Minister will sign a book to tell his President that Mr. President act presidentially. Is it not an insult? It’s an insult. That I, the President, who appointed you as a Minister; I appointed you into over 4000 positions in my government and you sign a book to tell me that I’m not doing my work , and so I should get to work? That is what NDC is telling their own President. By the petition that they’re signing, you’re telling the President that the President is not acting presidentially and so he should act so. You’re determining it for your President in glare public. I think it’s disrespectful to the President,” he argued.