Dr. Victoria Lakshmi Hamah, founder of the Progressive Organisation for Women’s Advancement (POWA), has issued a statement condemning the personal attacks, insults, and gendered mockery directed at First Lady Lordina Mahama and former Second Lady Samira Bawumia. According to Dr. Hamah, such attacks reinforce the unequal power structures that limit women’s collective political influence in Ghana.
The statement, titled “When Women Divide, Unequal Power Wins: POWA Calls for an End to Gendered Attacks on Lordina Mahama and Samira Bawumia,” emphasizes that political differences between the two women should not be a basis for turning women against one another. Dr. Hamah stresses that women can belong to different political parties and hold opposing views without becoming enemies.
Dr. Hamah highlights that the issue reflects a broader pattern in which prominent women are subjected to personal humiliation in public and political life. This, she argues, diverts attention from structural challenges such as inadequate political representation, economic inequality, violence against women and girls, unequal access to opportunities, and unpaid care burdens.
The POWA founder notes that Lordina Mahama and Samira Bawumia, having occupied highly visible positions in Ghana’s political leadership, can use their platforms to advance issues affecting women, girls, and vulnerable communities. Dr. Hamah encourages them to lead a broader conversation on women’s political solidarity beyond party lines.
Dr. Hamah urges women’s rights organisations, civil society groups, and Ghanaians generally to reject the normalisation of gendered insults and personal attacks against women in public life. She also calls on men who support equality to reject such attacks and encourages political actors to demonstrate that political competition can coexist with respect for women’s dignity.
The condemnation of these attacks is part of a larger call to action for Ghanaian women to unite and push for more representation in politics. Dr. Hamah believes that Ghana needs more women at the table and that women who can disagree without destroying one another are essential for progress.
Dr. Hamah concludes by stating that “women’s power is people’s power” and appeals to Ghanaians to work together to create a more inclusive and equitable society. She emphasizes that partisan politics should not pit women against one another when there is so much work to be done together.
Key points
- Dr. Victoria Lakshmi Hamah condemns personal attacks on Lordina Mahama and Samira Bawumia.
- The attacks reflect a broader pattern of personal humiliation of prominent women in Ghana.
- Dr. Hamah calls for women’s political solidarity beyond party lines.
