Prof. Opoku-Agyemang showed compassion by signing the ‘Montie 3’ petition- NDC

The National Democratic Congress’ running mate, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku- Agyemang, showed compassion by signing a petition to have the ‘Montie 3’ released, the party’s Communication Director, Sammy Gyamfi has said.

“Prof. only signed the petition to mitigate the harsh sentence after they (the Montie 3) had served 10 days in prison and paid a fine of GHC10,000… good mothers are known to forgive their kids when they go wrong” he said.

The supreme court in 2016 sentenced and fined Salifu Maase, aka Mugabe, Radio Gold host; and panellists—Alistair Tairo Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn– for contempt of court.

They were to spend four months’ imprisonment each and also fined GH¢10,000 each.

The two panellists, spurred on by Maase, threatened the lives of judges of the Superior Courts, especially those who had heard the case on the credibility of the country’s electoral roll filed by Abu Ramadan and Evans Nimako against the Electoral Commission (EC).

They were found guilty of scandalising the court, defying and lowering its authority and bringing its name into disrepute.

But the imprisonment of the Montie trio was met with dissent from the then governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its followers, including some ministers of state.

They described the sentence as “harsh” and signed a petition pleading with the President to exercise presidential pardon for the three under Article 72 of the 1992 Constitution.

Former President Mahama acceded to the demands of the petitioners and, on August 26, 2016, remitted the convicts’ sentences from four months to one month, which they had served.

Four years after she has been nominated as the NDC running mate for the general elections, the issue is back to the table.

Hours after her nomination, the New Patriotic Party branded the former Education Minister a threat to Ghana’s development.

They questioned her reverence for the rule of law.

NPP Communications Director, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, in a press conference, questioned her integrity.

“We can only conclude that the choice of Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang by Mr. John Dramani Mahama is a clear indication that he does not take the Ghanaian electorate seriously,” he said.

But in response, the NDC says, the woman who first came to the national spotlight as the country’s first female Vice-Chancellor, exhibited compassion by signing the petition.

“Interestingly, our NPP friends who are criticizing this act of compassion, are the very people who have shielded from prosecution and punishment, their party thugs, the “Delta Forces”, who stormed the KMA magistrate court in broad daylight to attack a pregnant judge and free their colleagues who were in lawful custody. And that in itself says a lot about their character and credibility” he noted.