Ursula Tells Murtala Mohammed: It Is Not Over Yet

Embattled Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu has expressed disappointment in the Member of Parliament for Nantong, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed for making disparaging remarks about her in the media. She decried Murtala Mohammed’s comments, saying it was most unfortunate for him to have reacted in a fierce manner in Parliament. The two Parliamentarians were reported to have nearly engaged in a skirmish in the lobby of the Parliament House on Tuesday. Murtala Mohammed claimed the MP for Ablekuma West had undermined the integrity of Northerners in the country. According to him, Ursula Owusu had described Northerners as “cattle rearers”. He continued that an NPP Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei, who appeared as his co-panelist on Metro TV's Good Morning Ghana, also made similar derogatory comments during the show. He said Dr. Akoto Osei reacting to a demonstration by some pro-NDC group calling itself NDC Youth Network for Peace a couple of weeks ago, made a statement that sought to "impugn the integrity of the people of the North." The aggrieved group who feared President John Mahama may not appoint caretaker Communications Minister, Haruna Iddrisu in his government, vandalized some billboards which had images of the President and the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alhaji Collins Dauda. Murtala Mohammed who was obviously not happy with the Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, sought to reproach him. He alluded to similar statements made by other members of the New Patriotic Party, including Ursula Owusu, who he alleged had said but for free education, elite Northerners would have been cattle rearers. He described Ursula Owusu as not being civil in her utterances. But what seemed to be just an exchange of minds turned into fierce verbal confrontations between the two MPs in Parliament's lobby. The two were said to have hurled "unparliamentarian" words at each other after their misunderstanding. Speaking on Oman FM Wednesday morning, Ursula Owusu insisted her comments did not seek to insult the intelligence of Northerners in the country. According to her, she was misquoted by the Nantong MP, explaining that her comment sought to throw light on the NPP's free education mantra. She cited President John Mahama and some other Ministers as beneficiaries of free education in the Northern Region. She emotively bemoaned the reactions by Murtala Mohammed, stressing that for her; the conflict "has not ended yet". She added she will take the issue up with the appropriate authorities.   Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana