The Member of Parliament for the Asawase constituency and Minister nominee for the Interior, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has expressed regret and apologised for allowing his 6-year-old daughter to vote during the 2020 elections.
During his vetting in Parliament on Friday, January 24, Alhaji Muntaka responded to a question by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who asked about the incident.
Muntaka admitted to the act, explaining that it was done out of affection for his daughter. “Yes, I made my daughter vote. I’m very fond of Khadijah,” he said, adding that his daughter had been curious about the voting process and requested to see how it was done.
“She asked me, ‘Daddy, can I see how voting is done?’ I told her I would show her when we got there. So, I pulled her by my side to vote,” Muntaka explained.
He admitted that while he acted out of love, he did not initially consider the legality of his actions.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin emphasised that allowing his daughter to vote was against the law, prompting Alhaji Muntaka to acknowledge his error.
“When the news came, I realised it was wrong, but I quickly apologised,” he said.
Alhaji Muntaka further clarified that the act held no deeper significance for the child beyond satisfying her curiosity.
“Doing that and using her hand doesn’t mean anything to her apart from feeling that she now knows what they do,” he added.
The MP expressed remorse for his actions, reiterating that his intention was not to violate the law but to respond to his daughter’s interest in the voting process.
“I regret and apologise for my actions,” Alhaji Muntaka concluded.