Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, a former Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, has refuted allegations he made comments to the effect that the religion of late Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama made him an unsuitable choice for president.

According to Ghana’s ambassador to Namibia, Mr Harruna Attah, who issued a press statement on Wednesday, November 23: “…Mr Hackman Owusu Agyeman, going beyond Nana Akufo-Addo’s ethnicity, used religion as his anti-Aliu stance. He confronted me in the presence of a witness: ‘Abdul-Rahman, with a nation of about 70% Christians, do you think it will be fair to have a Muslim president?’ He was referring to Alhaji Aliu Mahama, a Muslim. I answered calmly that in all the major hotspots of the world, it is when some groups think they are dominant and go on to marginalise groups they regard as minorities that the minorities also rise up to assert themselves, by whatever means.”

Responding to the accusations on Class FM’s 505 news programme, Mr Agyeman told host Emefa Apawu: “I thought that was a bit of a joke because the chronology of events, sequence and piecing together does not make a shred of sense.”

He stressed that he never had any anti-Muslim discussions with the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, or Mr Atta.

According to what he is saying “it might have taken place somewhere around 2007 close to a decade, so what makes him come now at this point in time to try to muddy the waters and put people’s names into public opprobrium”.

“I don’t remember discussing this with him and in any case I don’t remember whether it was before or post elections,” he underscored.

He said he had been part of the leadership of the NPP since 1992 and the party had constantly chosen “somebody from the North, a Muslim, as our running mate”.

According to him “anything happens and the person (vice-president) can be president, and if we do not want somebody to become president, why then do we go and choose them [as vice presidential candidates”.

He cited the example of the current president of Ghana, Mr John Mahama, who became president after the death of then President Mills and has remained as the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) since then.

“Choosing a running mate is more than ethnicity, but someone capable of being a president when the president is not available,” he added.