The Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr Clement Apaak has said it will be frivolous for any Minority MP to claim he was blackmailed to endorse former President John Dramani Mahama. The former presidential staffer under Mr Mahama who is seeking to stage a comeback after his quest to seek a second term was dashed in 2016, said, no single MP was forced to endorse Mr Mahama.

The MPs for Mahama he noted is not a new group because about 80 of them in 2017, visited the former president and encouraged him to contest. He said, the 80 MPs later called on other MPs to join if they so wish and as at Saturday Parliament rose, 94 MPs had signed.

‘’And so there was nothing secretive to it; the claim that people were compelled or blackmailed certainly cannot be true because everyone was told what the list was about, the title of the list was very clear, it was captioned, ‘Members of Parliament for John Mahama 20’; you had the option to sign or not to sign.

So reading that some MPs have claimed they were deceived to sign keeps many of us aback.’’ Picking on Joseph Bipoba Naabu, the MP for Yunyoo constituency who claimed was blackmailed, the MP said, the said MP has publicly expressed his dislike for Mahama and so it was not surprising he made that comment. ‘’He supports the 2nd Speaker Alban Bagbin.

He openly said he was not going to sign because he was not ready to support the former president. He never signed and so his name is not on our list.’’

‘’There is no way anyone can compel anyone to do something against their wish.’’ On Richard Quashigah, he said, the MP has pitched camp with Professor Alabi and so could not have been forced to endorse Mahama. He added: ‘’I want everyone to ignore this frivilosities with the contempt it deserves because nobody has compelled anyone to sign.’’

He said, just as people see Babgin, Alabia and others as better candidates, the 94 MPs see Mr Mahama as the best candidate.