Gender activist Susan Adu-Amankwah has criticised Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection Ms Otiko Djaba for justifying her call for a probe into sex-for-job allegations against the chairperson of the Electoral Commission when she appeared before the vetting committee.

Ms Djaba had told parliament’s Appointments Committee that her statements then for a probe, when Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong made sex-for-job allegations against EC boss Charlotte Osei, was to protect the integrity of EC boss Charlotte Osei due to the position she occupied.

But this has not gone down well with Ms Adu-Amankwah, who told Moro Awudu on Class FM’s Executive Breakfast Show: “The fact that she asked for an investigation was enough encouragement for Kennedy Agyapong.”

She explained: “When Kennedy Agyapong said it was a joke, any self-respecting gender activist then should have said that if it was a joke then he needs to publicly apologise to the woman for ruining her reputation and dragging her name in the mud, but she chose to keep quiet.”

The second vice-chairperson for the Convention People’s Party (CPP) argued: “The jury is out whether she really was genuine in calling for an investigation or it was to cast more slur and more mud at the reputation of Charlotte Osei.”

Ms Adu-Amankwah maintained: “It would be appalling for any other woman to take a man’s side especially on such a comment and I thought it was pathetic that she would take the side of her party member against another woman knowing that Kennedy Agyapong, who made those comments, later came out to say that he was joking.”

Mrs Adu-Amankwah said Ms Djaba’s was entitled to defend her party member “but it is also our right to say that we don’t think any self-respecting gender activist will allow men to get away with such comments”, adding: “It was unfair.”