Free Montie 3 movement visits convicts at Nsawam prison
The Free the Montie 3 Movement on Monday morning paid a visit to the convicts at the Nsawam Prisons in the Eastern region.
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They were led by comedian and actor Koo Fori and Kwabena Bobie Ansah, a radio presenter. Other members in the leadership were Baah Achamfour of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Akweley of Ghana’s Most Beautiful fame.
Baah Achamfour told Accra based Okay FM that they arrived early at the prisons around 5am but had to wait till 8:30am for the gates to be opened for visitors.
The group has initiated a campaign to prevail on President John Mahama to grant a presidential pardon to the three who were jailed by the Supreme Court last week for contempt.
The three, radio talk host Salifu Maase, aka, ‘Mugabe’ and panelists Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn, were jailed four months each for contempt.
They threatened to kill judges who ruled in the Abu Ramadan and Evans Nimako vs Electoral Commission case in which the court said the EC should delete the names of voters who used NHIS cards to register from Ghana’s electoral roll.
Achamfour explained to the radio station that they would push for the three to be granted their freedom and that they were in the prisons to hear from them first hand on media reports that suggests the trio have asked them to stop the "freedom fight".
Some members of the public including lawyers for the three, Nana Ato Dadzie and George Loh, have described the sentence as “harsh”, and insisted that people must not be committed to prison for infractions on free expression especially in light of the repeal of the criminal libel law.
Petition book
They have subsequently opened a petition book to solicit signatures to support the petition which has already been forwarded to the Office of the president for pardon.
A number of people including ministers of state have since signed the petition book. They are Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Education, Madam Akua Donkor, founder and leader of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Nana Oye Lithur, Gender Minister, Dr Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe, a founder member of NPP, Education Minister Prof Naana Opoku-Agyeman, Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit, Valerie Sawyerr and Deputy Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Benjamin Dagadu
Earlier when some sympathisers visited the convicts in prison at the weekend, they reportedly asked people not to put undue pressure on President John Mahama to invoke article 72 to grant them pardon.
"Don't be discouraged, we are doing great. We are being protected by the Lord almighty. God willing we shall come out stronger, wiser and blessed....But seriously why did the NDC pay the fine? We have left our families behind and they need and will need money pretty soon so why waste such an amount when the harm has already been done. That money is really big and would have made our families happy a bit," Mugabe reportedly said.
They were said to have urged members of the public especially NDC supporters who are calling on President John Mahama to exercise his prerogative power of mercy over their jailing to exercise restraint.
"We know the President has the executive powers to grant us pardon and at the right time he will decide on what to do."
"The feeling of anger and disgust at the sentencing of trio by the Supreme Court is very understandable, but we are happy it happened, if it means serving the four months jail to allow President Mahama and the NDC to focus on the bigger picture and win the 2016 elections we are cool with it," Alistair Tairo Nelson stated.
Salifu Mugabe Maase, Godwin Ako Gunn and Alistair Nelson expressed gratitude to Ghanaians and in particular the NDC party for the show of love and support given them since the incident happened.
Vigil
Led by the Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Koku Anyidoho, the group last Friday held a night-long vigil in Accra in solidarity with the three individuals who have been jailed for contemptuous statement against the Supreme Court.
Numbering about 500 and dressed in white outfits with red armbands, the group stood at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum for more than six hours chanting: "Free Montie Three now."
Some of the members of the group were also spotted wearing T-shirts that had the pictures of the jailed Montie trio, Salifu Maase, popularly known as Mugabe, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Gunn.
Also present to give his support was the Chairman of the People’s National Convention ( PNC), Mr Bernard Mornah.
Prior to the Friday night vigil, some workers of Montie Fm, also held a candlelight vigil on the company's premises.
The vigil was also part of an attempt to get President John Mahama to invoke his powers under article 72 of the Constitution to grant the Montie three a reprieve from the rather "harsh" four-month jail term.
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