A former Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, has described as a “joke” allegations that he made comments to the effect that the late Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama was not selected for president by the NPP because of his religion.
Ghana’s ambassador to Namibia and Botswana Mr. Harruna Attah, in a press statement Wednesday said “…Mr Hackman Owusu Agyeman, going beyond Nana Akufo-Addo’s ethnicity, used religion as his anti-Aliu stance. He confronted me in the presence of a witness: ‘Abdul-Rahman, with a nation of about 70% Christians, do you think it will be fair to have a Muslim president?’
“He was referring to Alhaji Aliu Mahama, a Muslim. I answered calmly that in all the major hotspots of the world, it is when some groups think they are dominant and go on to marginalise groups they regard as minorities that the minorities also rise up to assert themselves, by whatever means.”
But in an interview on Class FM, Mr. Owusu-Agyeman said the chronology of events narrated by Mr. Attah does not add up.
“I thought that was a bit of a joke because the chronology of events, sequence and piecing together does not make a shred of sense…according to what he [Harruna Attah] is saying it might have taken place somewhere around 2007 close to a decade, so what makes him come now at this point in time to try to muddy the waters and put people’s names into public opprobrium”.
“I don’t remember discussing this with him and in any case I don’t remember whether it was before or post elections,” he added.
Mr. Owusu-Agyeman added that Aliu Mahama would not have been chosen as running mate of the NPP if the party did not believe in him.
“Anything happens and the person (vice-president) can be president, and if we do not want somebody to become president, why then do we go and choose them [as vice presidential candidates]”.
“Choosing a running mate is more than ethnicity, but someone capable of being a president when the president is not available.”
Source: Starrfmonline
