Nyaho Tamakloe Applauds Mahama; Downplays NPP's Call For Investigations Into Vikileaks

A stalwart of the opposition NPP, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe has lauded President John Mahama's "swift and decisive" dismissal of deputy Communications Minister Victoria Hammah whose comments on a leaked tape have embarrassed government. Speaking on Asempa FM's Ekosii sen programme, Monday, the former Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro also downplayed calls by his party, the New Patriotic Party for an investigation to be conducted into the revelations made by the deputy minister- revelations which grabbed the headlines and eventually led to her dismissal. Ms. Victoria Hammah, in a leaked tape that has gone viral and caused her dismissal from government, chided a colleague Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Racheal Appoh for picking up needless quarrels with her boss, Nana Oye Lithur. She claimed Mrs Oye Lithur may have played a key role in ensuring the verdict on the presidential election petition favoured the president. (The Gender and Social Protection Minister has since denied the claims). Ms. Hammah also suggested that, unlike her colleague Ms. Appoh, she will not pick a fight with her superior and risk her appointment once she couldn't boast a million dollars in her personal account. The comments have received widespread condemnation across the political divide. The New Patriotic Party has called for a probe into the claim that Oye Lithur met with the Supreme Court panel that adjudicated the election petition and influenced the decision of the justices. But Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe believes there was no need for any investigation. Asked whether he thought his party was right in asking for a probe, Nyaho Tamakloe said the call was needless and "unnecessary." He explained that since the minister "who is a responsible person" has denied the claims that she influenced the verdict of the election petition, that should end the matter. "Now that the minister has responded the case should be dead and buried." The Ablekuma West Constituency executives of the NDC have described as harsh the decision by the president to sack Victoria Hammah, but Nyaho Tamakloe disagrees. He told Kojo Asare Baffour Acheampong, host of Asempa FM's political talk show programme, that the president must be applauded for taking a swift action against the deputy minister. "If he had waited longer, there would have been lots of signals from different quarters. [It was] a good and effective decision. Other ministers will learn from it," he stated.