Presidential Staffer Nana Yaa Akyenpim Jantuah has strongly criticised Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin over remarks she says were disrespectful after she received the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) petition on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama.

Speaking on Asempa FM's Ekosiisen on Thursday, August 6, Nana Yaa Jantuah said the Minority Leader had no justification for referring to her as "a nobody", stressing that she was acting on the direct instructions of the President.

According to her, President Mahama designated her to receive the petition because he and other senior government officials were attending the national commemoration of the victims of the August 6 helicopter crash.

She described Mr Afenyo-Markin's remarks as both unnecessary and disrespectful.

"Afenyo-Markin, you are not my classmate. I am older than him. How old is he? Even if I'm older than Afenyo-Markin by just two years, he hasn't got the right."

Nana Yaa Jantuah argued that by describing her as "a nobody", the Minority Leader was, in effect, showing disrespect to the President, who had appointed her to receive the petition.

"Now he's insulting the President because it was the President who nominated me to go and receive the petition."

She also defended her personal and professional credentials, saying her accomplishments long predated her current appointment.

"If we take out this political office, I have achieved a lot in life. I started working at GIPC, I'm well educated, I'm from a good home, and my father is a well-trained lawyer."

The Presidential Staffer questioned what gave the Minority Leader the authority to insult someone who had merely been assigned to carry out an official responsibility on behalf of the President.

She also rejected suggestions that she was not senior enough to receive the petition, insisting that she occupies a senior position within government.

"They claimed because I am a nobody, they made their Deputy Women's Organiser present the petition to me… I am a senior government official."

What did Afenyo-Markin really say?

While presenting the party's petition to wrap up the demonstration, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said, “With great respect to you and without prejudice to your presence, to nominate only you to come amount to disrespecting us as a political party. I'm the leader of the party in parliament. You have the General Secretary of the party here. You have the Chief of Staff of the flagbearer. We have the Chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the party."

"The Members of Parliament and the leadership of parliament are all here. But to disrespect our democracy by only nominating you to come, like I said, with great deference to you, it doesn't match it. So it means that the government does not even take serious the grave issues before us. That notwithstanding, we are democrats and we would want to respect.”

• Read also: ‘I’m not a nobody; I’m a senior government official’ – Nana Yaa Jantuah assures NPP its petition will reach Mahama