Open letter: Becca attacks MP for Daboya/Mankarigu constituency

• Posted on December 3, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Becca has written an open letter to Hon. Nelson Abudu Baani, Member of Parliament (MP) for Daboya/Mankarigu constituency in the Northern region his recent suggestion that adulterous women be stoned to death.

Read Becca’s open letter below:

…8,275 representing 53.82% of vote cast by Ghanaian adults including women, confirmed Honorable Baani Abudu Nelson to join the highest decision making body of this great country. I bear no grudge against the good people of Daboya constituency in the Northern Region. In fact we should be grateful to the indigens for luring him unto the grandest of platforms to exhibit all of his ‘wares’. The last time I checked, Men of honour were supposed to be wise, intelligent, discerning and most importantly, in the very least appreciate females and what we stand for.

The African woman has come a long way as part of her efforts to be left alone to blossom into her full potential. Evidently, it is too much to ask. Indeed time has passed since Hon. Baani Abudu Nelson laid bare his thoughts on marital justice and unfortunately for Ghana, his only commentary of note has been a lame attempt to justify his savagery remarks about women. How and why this MP is still walking like a dignified adult makes me cringe and wonder what we are as a people. What Hon. Nelson Abudu has prescribed for parliament’s consideration is not only contemptuous and an affront to the female gender but an indictment on the sanctity of Ghana’s parliament.

Hon. Abudu, can you please resign? Can you also cease to make commentary on any subject that bothers on national development until after you have sought help? For the good people of Daboya and Mankarigu to elect you means you may have something to offer. In other words society shouldn’t give up on you. I will add your item to my prayer list and if you wouldn’t mind suggest a few remedies to your situation.

It may interest you to know that not too long ago as recent as 1970 some women in Europe (Switzerland) were not allowed to vote. Women first voted in Europe in 1893 when Yaa Asantewaa was gearing up to lead men into war. Many Hundreds of years ago the Ghanaian and for that matter the African women that you have no respect for were war Generals, Political power houses, scholars and nation builders long before we came in contact with the west. Let me give you some names.

Cleopatra: 44 bc ruler of Egypt,

YaaAsantewaa: Leader of the Ashanti uprising against the British in 1900

Queen Bakwa Turunku :  Founder of the Zazzau Kingdom now known as Kaduna state in Nigeria and mother of the Great Amina of Zazzau who herself became a great  military strategist and an army general after taking over from her mother. (15thcentury)

Yennenga of Bourkina: Yennenga was the daughter of Nedega,an early 12th-century king of the Dagomba Kingdom in what is now northern  Ghana. She was a beautiful and beloved princess who from the age of 14, fought in battle for her father against the neighboring Malinkes and commanded her own battalion to mention a few.

Hon. Abudu, in the Ashanti kingdom, the King is appointed solely by the Queen mother. It is rather unfortunate that we have been brain washed to believe that the African woman is handicapped so much so that such demeaning words can come from you a member of parliament. Hon Abudu please do the honourable thing and resign. A man who perpetuates cold-blooded murder has no business being in parliament. This should never be about politics because I am very confident no political party in this great country of ours would remotely allow any individual with such a mentality to be a member if only they knew. This is about an individual’s state of mind.

I will be relentless in voicing out my feelings on this matter.

Rebecca Acheampong.