The President of Imani Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe has called for the incarceration of the deputy minister-designate for the Local Government Ministry, John Oti Bless, over derogatory comments he made about the Chief Justices and other justices of the Supreme Court.
According to him, Oti Bless has not shown remorse for his comments despite the Nkwanta North Member of Parliament (MP)’s apology on Citi FM.
He believes that Oti Bless’ conduct is comparable to that of the jailed host and panelists of Accra-based radio station, Montie FM, who made their contemptuous comments on the same programme. “I suspect the Chief Justice, listening to this mockery of an apology, would be wondering what exactly came over him.
He’s suggesting that he was ordered to apologise,” Franklin Cudjoe said on Citi FM‘s news analysis programme, The Big Issue. “If he isn’t jailed, then we should take out the Montie three. The Montie gang of bandits, did the same thing on the same platform and also apologized.” Oti Bless’ apology on Friday followed a directive from the Speaker for deliberations over his nomination to be put on hold until he apologised for the comments he made. “I wish to sincerely state that I am really sorry for everything that has happened.
Let me use this opportunity to render an unqualified apology to the Chief Justice who is my mother and the entire Judiciary, judges, Parliament, good people of Ghana and my constituents,” he said in an interview with Eyewitness News host Richard Dela Sky. Oti Bless stated that he had received advice from the Speaker of Parliament and the Majority leader, Alban Bagbin, prompting him to issue the public apology.
Franklin Cudjoe, who has been a stern critic of Oti Bless asserted that the apology had been forced from Oti Bless and that the legislator hadn’t meant it. “I don’t wish evil for anybody but we have to make examples of people who supposedly are representing us. Oit Bless must be jailed. Oti Bless has not shown any remorse as far as I am concerned. He is saying that he was directed or advised [to apologise] so he himself doesn’t believe it, he said. “He must be jailed otherwise the Montie Three may have to be given some pardon” .
I was misled
Oti Bless explained that he had been ‘misled’ to make the comments he did adding that he was carried away by the moment. “I was misled in a way as a young guy with youthful exuberance, you can understand. That is not my nature, that’s not how I was brought up, I’ll plead that it won’t happen again.
This will be the last time. They should kindly forgive me in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” he said Parliament deferred the nomination of Oti Bless on Thursday stating that consultations had not yet been completed.
The Nkwanta North MP’s nomination for the position came under scrutiny following his performance at his vetting which many described as unconvincing. His nomination has been questioned further by revelations that he had made some derogatory comments about the Chief Justice, Georgina Woode on same Montie FM programme which the two jailed panelists and radio host had made death threats on Supreme Court justices.
Oti Bless is on record as having accused the Chief Justice of ‘conniving’ with the opposition NPP in an attempt to reverse the election results in 2008 and in 2012 which saw the late John Evans Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama elected into office respectively. The development drove some members of the Minority in Parliament to kick against his approval.
