I Never Endorsed Sex-For-EC Job Claim - Otiko

Women, Children and Social Protection Minister-designate Otiko Afisa Djaba has denied ever endorsing Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong’s sex-for-job claim against the Chair of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei.

“I’ll be the last person to do that because I myself have been a victim of such allegation,” Ms Djaba, who is divorced with four children told parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, 30 January, during her vetting.

Her comment at the time, she said, was “a misconstrued impression”.

“What I said at the time that Hon Kennedy Agyapong made the allegation [was that] I said that Madam Charlotte Osei, because of her position – the first woman to occupy that seat and the fact that she needed to be above reproach – I said that because of her integrity, there should be an investigation so that her name will be cleared.

“I never said that I supported the allegation or otherwise, all I called for was an investigation by National Security or the BNI,” she added.

In July last year, Ms Djaba, who speaks eight Ghanaian languages, was condemned for making such a call. Human rights lawyer Francis Xavier Sosu, for instance, described the call as “useless” and “bogus”.

“What is there to be investigated? It’s a very useless call,” Mr Sosu told Prince Minkah on Class91.3FM’s Executive Breakfast Show (EBS) on Tuesday July 19.

Mr Agyapong was heavily criticised for the allegation but that notwithstanding, the opposition New Patriotic Party’s Women’s Organiser told journalists at the time that there was the need for the Bureau of National Investigations and parliament to go into the allegation, since Mrs Osei could be compromised by the president as far as the 7 December general elections were concerned, if, indeed, there had been any sexual relationship between Mrs Charlotte Osei and Mr Mahama in the past as alleged.