Former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo clapped back at New Patriotic Party stalwart Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko over his criticism of her decision to picket at the Ministry of Finance.
The former CJ joined pensioners on February 10, 2023 to picket at the Ministry of Finance offices in Accra demanding their total exclusion from government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
A decision which Gabby wasn't pleased with and slammed her in a series of tweets on Sunday describing her participation as among others, a big error on her part.
READ ALSO: Debt exchange: You don’t solve your problems by sacrificing the aged – Sophia Akuffo
He also questioned whether there was the need at all to engage in a picket over a DDEP that was voluntary according to the Ministry of Finance.
“The former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, may mean well but she erred big time in her basic appreciation of the issues. Rather than asking the goverment for exemption at this late hour, why did she simply not 'exempt' herself from exchanging her original bond for the new one!," he wrote.
“For a former CJ to take up a noble cause such as she did but at such late hour when all was done and for all that publicity, she owed it to herself and her social standing to have understood the issues far better than what she exhibited last Friday. She is bigger than that.”
But in a response, the former Chief Justice who returned on Tuesday to join the picketers described Otchere-Darko as a “disturbance” and further added that his views are not important to her.
“He doesn’t decide for me what I need to do and what I don’t need to do, I don’t have time for things like that. People like that are not important to me or to my life, and he is a disturbance, that is all that I need to say to that,” Madam Akuffo told Citi News.
Sophia Akuffo served as the Chief Justice under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo between 2017 and 2019.
Read Gabby's full tweet
As an individual bondholder myself I wish to join the others in thank ling those like Senyo Hosi, Gayheart Mensah and co, who volunteered to lead the advocacy resulting in a far better offer for individual bondholders (particularly pensioners) than the original offer. Ayekoo!
Whiles I have sympathies for those picketing, I think we should be bold enough to ask them what really is the purpose? Why picket over an offer which you have the liberty not to accept? You are asking to be exempted but from an improved offer programme which is voluntary!
The former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, may mean well but she erred big time in her basic appreciation of the issues. Rather than asking the Govt for exemption at this late hour, why did she simply not 'exempt' herself from exchanging her original bond for the new one!
Why picket over something you don't like (the improved offer) when you have the right not to sign up? Sorry, but I struggle to get her emotional outburst over exemption! I hope she won't volunteer to picket tomorrow and on the same issues when the time to sign up has expired.
I was among those who pleaded for the exemption of pensioners. But, the Govt had to balance all that with the need to protect the economy for the 33m population and settled on the 15% yield maturing in 5yrs instead of 15, and that the individual was FREE not to participate.
For a former CJ to take up a noble cause such as she did but at such late hour when all was done and for all that publicity, she owed it to herself and her social standing to have understood the issues far better than what she exhibited last Friday. She is bigger than that.