Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has urged the media not to give currency to the jostle for the position of Chief of Defence Staff in the Ghana Armed Forces.
According to him, putting that into the limelight could lead to the politicisation of the matter which would undermine the very serious role the military plays in the country.
“The Ghana Armed Forces is a serious state institution that should never ever be partisan in its approach. And that is how the appointment of the CDS even though it is political, after your appointment you work for the state and not the party in government.
“So what is happening in the Ghana Armed Forces now as Prof said, we don’t need to give it currency,” he said on JoyFM’s Midday News, Tuesday, January 16.
His comments follow Chief of Army Staff, Major General Thomas Oppong-Peprah refuting rumours that he has declined an appointment as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
According to the highly-ranked army officer, although the rumours are untrue, they have exposed him to unnecessary attacks.
Speaking to JoyNews, he said “The name Oppong-Preprah is stirring stomachs and heads and creating fear in people. I don’t understand why and so I have been attacked and they keep attacking me.
“Even this morning just before I got here, a publication was sent to me where it is being indicated that I have refused to accept the appointment of CDS and as a result there is a stop in the military shakeup.”
This was barely two weeks after the presidency released a statement debunking rumours which claimed it intended to undertake a politically-motivated shake-up in the country’s military hierarchy to give the ruling party an advantage in the 2024 general elections.
Reacting to the Chief of Army Staff’s outburst, Peter Toobu said Major General Thomas Oppong-Peprah should have ignored the rumours circulating.
“But the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Oppong-Peprah, he should understand that where he came from, from the Armour Regiment in Southern Command and you’re now the Chief of Army staff, I mean, you’re gradually inching towards the top.
“Whether it’ll come it will come. But the truth of the matter is that soldiers talk less and soldiers don’t respond to speculation. Whatever it is, just be the soldier that you are and defend Ghana even at the peril of your life that is a soldier,” he said.
Source: JoyOnline