Victoria Hammah fired; Driver questioned for allegedly recording conversation
The secret recording of private conversations in the country had its first casualty when the driver of Ms Victoria Hammah, the dismissed Deputy Communications Minister, was arrested and detained overnight for allegedly leaking to the media a conversation his boss had.
Lawrence Quayson, 34, was picked up between 7 and 8 p.m. last Wednesday, after Ms Hammah had called the police to arrest him on suspicion that he had recorded the private conversation and distributed it to the media.
But Mr Quayson, who is said to be a cousin of Ms Hammah, has denied the allegation.
He has been granted police enquiry bail while investigations continue.
The Mile Seven Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police Mr Peter Yembilla, told the Daily Graphic that the suspect was granted bail because it was a misdemeanour.
He said investigations were, however, ongoing to establish the veracity or otherwise of the complaint.
Ms Hammah was relieved of her post as Deputy Communications Minister in a terse letter signed by Mr Mahama Ayariga, the Minister of Information and Media Relations, and dated November 8, 2013.
“His Excellency President Dramani Mahama has relieved Ms Victoria Mahama, Deputy Minister of Communications of her post as Deputy Minister,” the letter said.
It is believed that Ms Hammah was fired due to the leaked incriminating recording of her conversation with another woman about the government, her influence, her reason for entering politics and the role of the Lithurs in the current government.
Some of the things the recording purports she said included the following “…I understand politics very well, if I haven’t made a million dollars I wouldn’t go and attack people. If you have money, then you can control over people.”
"My appointment was solid way back. So, what does it tell you? That even in terms of influence, I’ve more influence than you and Rachel. Even you who won your seats, they have crammed you, two, in the gender. And you won’t seek wisdom. The moment you lose your ministerial job, you lose your might and influence. Then you become unpopular in your constituency. When somebody contests against you, you see that your place is in trouble. Then you’ll be done, you’re finished.”
It is being speculated that the ‘you’ in the conversation referred to Mrs Sena Okity-Duah, the Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku.
Back in time
Ms Hammah, a former host of Multi TV’s relationship programme – “Chocolate Factory”, was recently in the news for refusing to read a speech at a programme, saying it was not the one she had edited. She was caught on camera complaining before her audience about the content of a speech she read at the launch of a campaign against cyber crime in Ghana.
She was also reported to have told her audience that there was a typographical error in her speech and blamed it on her aide, during the launch of the Expresso Ghana ACE Fibre Cable earlier this year.
She contested the Ablekuma West Constituency seat on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the last elections after winning the party’s keenly contested primary that was also hotly pursued by Mr Prince Derrick Agyei of the National Youth Authority (NYA) and Miss Diana Obenewa Twum, an educationist.
The former Women’s Commissioner of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) described her victory in the primary as a victory for the NDC and a wake-up call to the opposition New Patriotic Party, but lost the seat to then Ms Ursula Owusu, now Mrs Ursula Ekuful.
In August, this year, the NPP Member of Parliament for Berekum East in the Brong Ahafo Region, Dr Kwabena Twum Nuamah, called on President Mahama to dismiss Ms Hammah for "displaying immaturity and incompetence".
According to news reports, Dr Nuamah’s reason was that Ms Hammah had continuously committed "unpardonable mistakes" that should not be entertained by President Mahama.
Daily Graphic/Ghana
Writer’s email:
