Social commentator, Sydney Casely Hayford
Social commentator, Sydney Casely Hayford, believes the Gender Minister, Otiko Afisa Djaba, and the Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu, should have been dismissed for their recent public spat.
He called their conduct disgraceful and indiscipline, and said they were unfit for public office.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Citi FM on Saturday, Mr. Casely Hayford, who is a sympathizer of the NPP, said their war of words disgraced the authority vested in them, as they exhibited gross indiscipline.
He opined that, if the NPP “had a strong enough backbone. If they were sure of themselves and secure in the way they handled affairs, those two should have been dismissed.
With Bugri, it will be a little difficult, because he is elected, but to remove Otiko as a minister would not be difficult.”
Instead, as part of the fall out of the public fracas between Madam Otiko and Bugri Naabu, the National Council of the NPP, directed all party officials serving in government to resign.
Madam Otiko and Bugri Naabu, were also ordered to apologize officially with written letters.
Among other things, their back and forth saw Bugri Naabu allege that the Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari, and Otiko Djaba, were involved in the murder the late Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama.
The genesis of the tension, as we know, could be traced to the confusion at Modern City hotel in Tamale, where Bugri Naabu, stormed and disrupted a meeting organised by Madam Otiko for some women, after an alleged dispute over the appointment of a Northern Regional Coordinator for the School Feeding Programme.
Mr. Casely Hayford, remained befuddled by the way the spat between the two NPP executives escalated, describing it as childish and ultimately an erosion of the offices they held.
“We are trying to create a certain quality of politician who will go into Parliament or be in a ministerial position where we will respect what they say and believe what they say. What this has done is to discredit them and discredit the whole political class because all that we are seeing now is childish behaviour.”
“I can’t for the life of me understand why two such prominent politicians in this country who expect to be respected for what they do, and expect us to listen to them, should go about saying such things about each other in public. These are a pair of very undisciplined persons. Even if you have something to say about that person, you should not do it on air. This was like a Montie three thing.”
Private legal practitioner and member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abraham Amaliba, noted that the “monster” in the Minister of Gender and Social Protection, Otiko Djaba, is “eating up “the NPP.
Mr. Amaliba, believes the governing NPP’s failure to rebuke Otiko Djaba for criticizing former President Mahama during the elections, created what he calls a “monster” in the Minister, which is now affecting the party.
“When she attacked President Mahama and the Minority asked her to retract she refused, and the NPP hailed her as a brave woman. When you create a monster to eat up your opponents after the monster has eaten up your opponents, it will turn to you.”
On the same platform, Mr. Casley Hayford, also criticized both the Minister and the Northern Regional Chairman, Bugri Naabu, over the fracas, saying they could have chosen a more dignified approach to resolving their issues.
Casley Hayford, believes the development clearly shows the two are “undisciplined.”
“This issue between Bugri Naabu and Otiko Djaba for me is the most distasteful thing that you can have in our social discourse. I cannot understand why two such prominent politicians who should be respected for what they do should go about saying such things about each other in public. These are a pair of undisciplined persons. This is like a Montie three thing. You should respect each other enough to call each other and sort this out.”
Bugri Naabu and Otiko Djaba, have been bickering in the past few days, exchanging abusive words on various media platforms in what many have described as a serious blot on the government’s image.
Otiko Afisa Djaba in a media engagement last week, accused the NPP Northern Regional Chairman, Bugri Naabu, of receiving goats and cows from individuals with the promise of securing appointments in public office for them.
Mr. Naabu, in a subsequent media interview, caused a stir when he reportedly suggested that Otiko Djaba and the current Upper East Regional Chairman, were involved in the murder of the Adams Mahama.