The Director of Communications for the ruling New Patriotic Party, Richard Ahiagbah has reacted to former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo’s decision to join a public protest against government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.

According to him, the former Chief Justice, if she has any reservations about the programme, could have opted not to sign up as the government is not imposing the programme on individual bondholders.

“The finance minister has on several occasions said that the programme is not compulsory but voluntary. So I am confused as to why the former CJ protested yesterday (i.e. Friday). There are others who are willing to participate in the programme and did not come out to protest so if we have the choice to participate, and she prefers not to, then the basis for her protest is not clear.

“I do not understand why she chose to demonstrate over something she has the freedom to choose,” he is quoted by Citinewsroom.com to have said.

Mrs Akufo on Friday, February 10, 2023, joined a group of pensioners picketing at the Ministry of Finance in demand for their exclusion from the DDEP.

Speaking to the GhanaWeb Business at the protest, Sophia Akuffo described the inclusion of pensioner bondholders in the programme as wicked, disrespectful and unlawful and threatened to sue the government if it goes on with it.

According to her, it is wrong for the government, through the Ministry of Finance, to sacrifice pensioners' hard-earned monies to save the government after serving the nation.

While bemoaning the negative impact of the debt exchange programme on pensioners in an interview with GhanaWeb Business, Sophia Akuffo stressed that it was heartbreaking to see her age mates and others older than her go through pain.

"It is very heart-breaking to see people, particularly in my age group, some are older than me, somewhat younger than me but these are all people who have worked very hard. They could have left the country when others were going. They stayed, they worked for the nation.

"I find this wicked, disrespectful, I find it unlawful. I find it totally wrong, period because you don’t solve your problems by sacrificing your aged. That’s the last thing you should do especially when you don't have any services that are actually geared at the comfort and relief of the aged," she said.

GA/SARA