Muntaka Picks 17-Year-Old Wife

It was a moment of merrymaking at Asawse, a Zongo community in Kumasi when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for the area took a second wife. Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak went to the altar for the second time by tying the knot with a 17-year-old Senior High School (SHS) graduate at the forecourt of the Kumasi Central Mosque yesterday afternoon. Earlier in the day, the former Minister of Youth and Sports paid the bide price of the youngster, Memunatu Abdul Wahab, at her parents� residence at New Zongo, opposite Otec FM in Asawase. As per the dictates of the Muslim religion, the man does not attend the blessing ceremony of the marriage which takes place at the woman�s residence. For that reason, the Asawase lawmaker was not present during that part of the ceremony. The Girl, Daily Guide was told, is also not permitted to be present at the ceremony which took pace early in the morning, but her parents and well-wishers were there. Though the bride price of the girl is normally pegged at GH100 in the community, the ex-Youth and Sports minister, Daily Guide learnt, paid GH2,700. After the ceremony which was officiated by the Ashanti regional Chief Imam, Abdul Mummin Haroun, a big party was held at the forecourt of the central mosque which was attended by Hon. Muntaka. The bride was not seen at the gathering which was attended by a host of MPs from the Ashanti Region, NDC faithful and other members of the community. The atmosphere at the forecourt of the Central Mosque got electrified when Alhaji Muntaka, in the company of Mahama Ayariga, a deputy minister of education and an aspiring NDC parliamentary candidate for Bawku Central in the Upper East Region stormed the grounds for the occasion to begin at about 12:30. Clad in an all white apparel, the former youth and sports minister went round and exchanged pleasantries with the gathering before taking his seat, which was next to the regional chief Imam�s on the high table.