Paul Adom Otchere defends his editorial on Zanetor Rawlings; says her allegations could lead to impeachment of the President

The host of Good Evening Ghana on Metro TV, Paul Adom Otchere has defended his editorial on MP for Klottey Korle Dr Zanetor Rawlings yesterday.

Dr Zanetor Rawlings in a media interview during her efforts to support the Covid-19 fight by distributing food to members of her constituency said the food from the government is being shared on partisan lines.

“People are using partisanship to distribute food. This is unacceptable. This is very sad. The lockdown is for the whole place and not just a few people. What is going on is wrong. We need greater accountability and transparency in the distribution of food,” Dr. Zanetor said.

The subject of her statement was discussed in the editorial session of Good Evening Ghana.

After the editorial, some NDC members and Ghanaians on social media believed that the editorial by Paul Adom Otchere was rather an attack on the personality of the MP.

The minority in Parliament said they will petition the National Media Commission (NMC) over Paul Adom Otchere comments on his show.

READ ALSO : Manasseh Azure writes: What Paul Adom Otchere did to me - a $100,000 lie

Addressing the media on Friday, the Minority Chief Whip, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka said they will petition the NMC in a bid to have the journalist punished.

“We will officially launch a complaint to the National Media Commission and it is our expectation that they will expedite action on it and get him to do the right thing. At this moment, this is not the time to divide ourselves. This is the time for us to be together and if for anything this virus has taught us, we are first humans before any other thing so let’s keep the humanity and work together and not reduce this into banter between NDC and NPP.”

Defending his action in a Citi FM interview, Paul Adom Otchere said the comment of the MP has legal and socio-political ramifications which needed to be addressed.

According to him, they did not set out to attack the MP but rather point to out her unparliamentary action.

 "We didn't set out to attack her, our concern was that the allegation she has made has two heads of ramifications. The first is legal and it also had socio-political ramifications."

On the legal ramifications, Paul Adom Otchere said the food being distributed by the government is by the order of the president using state resources and if her allegations are found to be true the President could be impeached.

He cites the constitutional Article which will call for impeachment if the said allegation is true.

"If you consider the oath of the President and you look at it in detail in the schedule of the constitution of Ghana you will find that the President is enjoined by his oath to protect the people of Ghana and in particular to protect the underprivileged people of Ghana, which the President has ordered an executive act in a period of public emergency like Covid-19 and it found that in doing so and in conducting this matter the President and his executives were partisan in distributing a basic necessity like food to the citizen, it will mean therefore that the President and the Executive of the country wanted some of those people not to get the food and they may die. That is an impeachable offence under Article 69 of the Consitution..."

Paul Adom Otchere also noted that the said comment on the socio-political level could lead to violence in the country if people decided to act because they starving and food is being distributed on partisan lines.

When questioned why he did not give the MP a fair hearing on his show, he explained that the MP had already made her stance known but the mayor of Accra was around to respond to the allegations.