Former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye, has refuted claims that he was given military protection while serving as Speaker of the 7th Parliament of Republic of Ghana.
There is claim that Prof. Oquaye was given military protection as Speaker of Parliament from 2017 to 2021 thereby the current Speaker, Alban S. K. Bagbin, should also be given same.
This is in reaction to the withdrawal of four military personnel protecting Speaker Bagbin over the weekend in a letter the Chief of Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) wrote to the Speaker, which explained that the four military officers were attached without proper procedure.
Some individuals believed to be associated with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had accused the governing New Patriotic Party of being selective because Prof. Oquaye also enjoyed protection from the military.
However, Prof. Oquaye in a statement issued Monday, January 17, 2022 asked he should not be drawn into the current impasse between Alban Bagbin and the military.
In a statement he said “My attention has been drawn to a media reportage that I, Prof. Michael Oquaye, was given military protection while I was Speaker of the 7th parliament of the 4th Republic.”
“I wish to categorically state that this is palpably false. I was never offered military protection, nor did I request any. Indeed, I had only three policemen to move with me and provide security at all material times. This information can be easily verified by anyone who cares for the truth at the office of the Clerk -to -Parliament at any given time.”
“I will pray that my name is left out of this media discourse on military protection and call upon discerning Ghanaians to disregard any misleading reportage on same.”
By Vincent Kubi