A Deputy General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen, has come to the defense of Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson, Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East and Special Development Initiatives Minister, over her shooting incident at a registration centre in the Central Region.

Hawa Koomson has been at the receiving end of an avalanche of criticisms after she fired shots at a registration centre at the Awutu Senya East constituency.

According to her, she fired to protect her life.

“I realised the lives of my people were in danger. So I wanted to scare the people. I fired the warning shots. I didn’t direct it at anybody...I’m a Member of Parliament, I need to protect myself. It was at dawn, my police escort had not started work yet. So that is a mechanism I have adopted in his absence," she said in an interview on Adom News.

Nana Obiri Boahen believes the Minister "was left with no other options because of the attacks on her and her entourage (alleged).

Speaking in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News, he claimed Hawa Koomson "was being chased with their motorbike and those doing that were heavily armed. Her car was hit with a motorbike. She fired to ward off the attack. She's a human being. She has the right to protect herself".

"I said she has not done anything wrong. When people started beating war drums in this country people treated my advice with contempt . . . the security analysts where were they?" he said.

Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy Vs Hawa Koomson

Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale are currently in court after disrupting VGMA in May 2019.

Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy have been charged with offensive conduct conducive to breach of peace. The latter is also facing another charge of displaying a weapon in a public place without permission.

The Bhim Nation artiste brandished a gun after Shatta Wale stormed the stage with his militants.

Connecting it to Hawa Koomson; some claims if the two artistes are facing legal action, then the same should be applied to the Awutu Senya East MP.

Disingenuous comparison

However, Obiri Boahen thinks it is 'disingenuous' to compare Hawa Koomson's act to that of Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale.

"This is disingenuous; the scenarios are not the same; disingenuous comparison; you better drop that argument; it's immaterial; it's a hasty conclusion," he told the host Umaru Sanda Amadu

Clearing Agent Akufo-Addo

Meanwhile, the National Communication Officer of the NDC has condemned Obiri Boahen for defending Hawa Koomson.

"It's a shame that Obiri Boahen will defend this illegal and criminal conduct of Hawa Koomson. We must learn to call out public officers who violate the law . . . Lawyer Obiri Boahen who should know better is defending this? What is this country being turned into by this Government?"

According to him, "this government is determined to cover up this crime, it is clear that she will be left off the hook. That is why we have served notice that if the clearing agent Akufo-Addo leaves Hawa Koomson off the hook any future NDC government will ensure that the woman pays for her crime."