I’m sorry – Avoka apologises to Ato Forson over nonentity comment

The Member of Parliament for Zebilla East, Cletus Apul Avoka, has apologised to the newly appointed Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, for describing him as a nonentity.

The former Majority Leader in an earlier interview with Citi News described the timing of the appointment of Ato Forson as wrong adding that the party did not have the luxury of time to turn a nonentity into a hero.

“This is not the time to make nobody a somebody, this is not the time to make nobody a somebody, this is the time to galvanise all of us to fight the NPP so that we can win elections, not to make heroes out of nonentities, this is not the time,” Mr Avoka said on Tuesday.

But in an attempt to clarify his earlier comments on Eyewitness News on Thursday, Mr Avoka said he didn’t intend to denigrate the Minority Leader.

“I will be the last person to say that and if I said that then it was an error. What I wanted to say was that this is not the time to drop somebody and elevate another. This is what I was trying to say and if in the process I said something different, I must apologise, and I am very sorry. I cannot denigrate any of my colleagues.”

The NDC earlier this week replaced Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu with Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.

Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for Ellembelle also replaced Ketu North MP, James Klutse Avedzi as the Deputy Minority Leader while Kwame Governs Agbodza replaced Asawase MP, Muntaka Mubarak as the Minority Chief Whip.

Following the appointments, over 70 MPs have petitioned the Council of Elders of the NDC and former Flagbearer John Mahama to suspend the leadership changes until a meeting between the minority caucus and party executives.

The legislators believe the reshuffling is premature and does not augur well for the opposition party going into the next elections given the lack of consultation.