Drop charges against Quayson — Dormaahene
The President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, has called on the Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, to drop the criminal case against the re-elected Assin North Member of Parliament (MP), James Gyakye Quayson.
Advertisement
He said it was needless for the A-G to continue the case after the chiefs and people of the constituency had re-elected him.
“As a matter of urgency, I am appealing to the President, if he has any role to play, and the Attorney-General to file a nolle prosequi to abort the criminal case against Mr Quayson,” he said, explaining that the law had made provisions or permitted the A-G to discontinue any case that citizens were not interested in.
Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu, who is also the Omanhene of the Dormaa Traditional Area, was speaking at the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo and Western North regional version of the Professor John Evans Atta Mills Commemorative Lecture in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital, last Saturday.
He stated that the 17,245 votes, representing 57.56 per cent of valid votes cast for Mr Quayson was a signal that the constituents had trust and belief in him to be their MP, explaining that if the case against the MP-elect was to continue, it would negatively affect the development of the constituency.
Prof. Mills lecture
The lecture brought together hundreds of people, particularly from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), including the National Chairman of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, former ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs).
It was on the theme: "The man John Evans Atta Mills — 10 Years on."
As part of the lecture, a 24-page book, titled, "Atta Mills Speaks to the World," was launched.
Other Trending Stories
The book captured Prof. Mills’s statements at the 64th, 65th and 66th sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations during his tenure as President.
Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu said Prof. Mills could be remembered for many important works and decisions in academia and politics, while his contributions towards the development of the country also stood out, but stressed that his stance on the LGBTQ+ subject was decisively impressive.
He said under the leadership of Prof. Mills, Dormaa Ahenkro benefited from several projects, including the University of Energy and Natural Resources’ (UENR) satellite campus.
Also, the President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs expressed concern about incidents of governments abandoning projects they inherited, stating that such situations had caused several projects to rot in the bush, thereby stalling the development of the country.
He thus appealed to successive governments to endeavour to complete inherited uncompleted projects since governance was a continual process.
Insulting leaders
Nana Dormaahene also said freedom of expression was not freedom to talk without decorum and admonished the public to desist from insulting politicians, particularly Presidents and Ministers of State.
He stated that there was a difference between constructive criticism and insults, stressing that people who were unhappy about issues could criticise some of the decisions and policies of leaders and ministers without verbally attacking them.
Legacy
The Dean of Students at UENR, Prof. Dominic Otoo, said Prof. Mills would be remembered for his fight against corruption, strengthening of state institutions, rule of law and his passion for helping the vulnerable in the country.
Prof. Otoo said as President, Prof. Mills took measures to reduce government expenditure in order to invest in the provision of quality education and healthcare delivery.
The UENR Dean of Students further said Prof. Mills also championed digitalisation which the current government was building on.
Prof. Otoo stated that as a researcher, he had conducted a research which indicated that the NDC had a 72 per cent chance of winning the 2024 elections.
He encouraged the party and added that if it indeed won, the next NDC government should adopt 60 per cent of the governing style of Prof. Mills not only to establish is legacy, but also to enhance development.
Advertisement
Others
Various speakers at the lecture described the late Prof. Mills as a unifier, peacemaker, truthful, a God-fearing man, humble, tolerant, listener, patient and selfless, among others.
Writer's email: biiya.ali@graphic.com.gh