John Oti Bless, Deputy Minister-designate for Local Government and Rural Development, was lucky to have escaped the attention of the Supreme Court (SC) following his scandalous comments against Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood and the highest court of the land, Abdul-Malik Kweku Baako, editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide, has said.
Mr Bless, who is the Member of Parliament for Nkwanta North, was reported to have made scandalous comments about the CJ on Montie FM, on the same day the Montie 3 – Salifu Maase, aka Mugabe, Godwin Ako Gunn, and Alistair Nelson – made contemptuous statements about the bench, which earned them a four-month jail term.
On Friday August 5, the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, advised Mr Bless to apologise to the Chief Justice to prevent any rift between the legislature and the judiciary over the unpalatable comments.
“One of the last things that I would like is to have this house and the head of another arm of government having problems," Mr Adjaho said.
“I have, therefore, behind the scenes, taken some steps in consultation, which I have discussed with some members of the leadership of the house, to see how this matter can be resolved. As a result of these consultations, it is important that the member of this house that made those statements apologises [to the Chief Justice].”
Bless has since apologised to the Chief Justice, referring to her as his "mother" in an interview with Citi FM on Friday August 5. He further indicated that he was sorry and would not insult her. He, therefore, asked for forgiveness from Mrs Wood and the Supreme Court.
But speaking on Multi TV’s news analysis programme Newsfile on Saturday August 6, Mr Baako said: “He [President John Mahama] should withdraw his nomination. … Of course, vetting has taken place but the president should have withdrawn the appointment. The gentleman is damn lucky, how he escaped this whole Supreme Court scrutiny is weird, I can’t believe it; he ought not be a deputy minister. The president should just forget it.”
“It’s so serious. His (comment) is worse than even the three gentlemen’s. He ought not to be considered at all. Indeed, parliament should do what the Executive failed to do in the Montie 3 case, which the Supreme Court hinted at. Parliament should not approve … this gentleman’s nomination.”
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