Minister-designate for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has apologised for referring to his fellow MP John Jinapor as “papa no” in Parliament.
Speaking at the Appointments Committee vetting, he explained that his remark was said in jest and not meant to undermine the gravity of the ongoing debate on the floor of Parliament that day.
“Chairman as the leader will recall on that faithful evening, I voluntarily sent word to you that I would like to apologize and have it expunged from the record and you gave me leave so to do.”
“As leader will recall right in the division room here, when he stepped out, I approached them and expressed again my apologies.”
There was an uproar in parliament after Mr Oppong Nkrumah referred to former Deputy Energy Minister John Jinapor as “Papa no.”
This phrase ‘Papa no’ had become popular on social media after actress Tracey Boakye used it repeatedly to describe a married man she claimed she and musician Mzbel were in a relationship with concurrently.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah during the conclusion of his submission on the controversial Agyapa Royalties Limited deal used the phrase “Papa no”. This, however, did not go down well with the NDC half of the House.
Although, he later stated that his comment was said in jest and not meant to offend anyone Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu referenced it during his vetting, stating that it was inappropriate for such a comment to be made on the floor of parliament especially during a debate of that magnitude and importance to the country.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said he had no intentions of derailing the debate in the House when he made his comment and has since offered his apologies to Mr Jinapor.
“Indeed if you follow my entire debate, I had made my submissions on the substantive matter it was in the end that my good friend John Jinapo from the other side is the one I took a jest at.”
