Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has lashed out at government and the Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta for lacking humility in dealing with total exemption demand of pensioners in the ended Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
She explained in an interview at the pensioners’ picket at the Ministry of Finance (February 14) that she had joined the picket as a matter of principle and will not rule out going to court to enforce her rights in case government defaults on its commitments to her as a bondholder.
Asked how she felt about attacks by detractors calling her out for joining the picket and critiquing government’s handling of the economy and the DDEP programme, she said she was unperturbed.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but blah blah will not hurt me,” she told journalists before adding that she would not trade insults with such people.
“Insults? Insults is the weapon of the pin brained. I am not going to trade words with pin-brains, I am sorry,” she stressed.
Taking aim at the Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta for not responding to an official request for exemption by pensioners, the former CJ said it was a sign of pride on the part of the minister.
She said pensioners will wait for when next their bond payments are due to see what line government takes: “So, we are waiting when they become due, we shall see, but it would be better that for all of us and for the nation too, that he responds to the letter that has been sent to him.
“Apart from pride, what else is stopping him from the issuance of a response to the letter?” she asked.
New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko trended on Valentine's Day (February 14) after his recent critique of former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo elicited a response.
The name "Gabby" at a point came as far up as sixth in the trends as the media extensively reported Akuffo's clapback following Gabby's 'attacks' of her decision to join a pensioner bondholders picket at the Ministry of Finance.
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Sophia Akuffo was also up in the trends at a point, against the backdrop of the former CJ's coments which included that Gabby was a disturbance and suggestions that he was pin-brained.
Gabby criticized the former CJ over her participation in the pensioner bondholders picket at the Ministry of Finance on Friday, February 10, 2023.
According to Gabby, the former CJ erred in joining the picketers who were demanding full exemption from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
But Madam Sophia Akuffo, in her response to Gabby during her second appearance at the picket, said the NPP stalwart was a less important being to her and one who does not even hold any proper position in the governing New Patriotic Party.
“He [Gabby] cannot tell me what I need to do and what I do not need to do and it's as simple as that… You know I don’t have time for things like that because people like Gabby are not important to me or to my life, he is a disturbance and that’s all I can say about it,” she told journalists when she joined pensioner bondholder to picket again at the Ministry of Finance on February 14, 2023.
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