Members of Parliament (MP) in the Majority caucus who have been calling for the immediate dismissal of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta have agreed to their Party leadership’s request to allow the Minister stay in office until the 2023 budget is presented, the budget’s appropriation bill is passed, and the ongoing IMF negotiations are over.
In a meeting held at Alisa Hotel yesterday, the National Executives and Council of Elders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) appealed to the MPs to stick to their agreement with President Akufo-Addo.
The President had pleaded with them to allow the Finance Minister complete the aforementioned assignments before he acts on their demand.
In a statement signed jointly by Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annor-Dompreh, and General Secretary of NPP, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the MPs have reclined to doing the President’s bidden.
“At a meeting this evening, the 22nd of November, 2022, involving the Majority Caucus, the Leadership of the Party and the Council of Elders, it has been agreed by all to refocus and recline to the earlier position requested by the President.”
Statement by NPP
The Leadership of the Party and the Council of Elders promised that President Akufo-Addo will attend to the demands of the MPs soon after the matters the Minister is engaged in at the moment are over and done with.
“The meeting agreed that the President will act upon the initial request of the NPP Parliamentary Caucus soon after the conclusion of these matters,” the statement read in part.
Meanwhile, they counselled the disgruntled MPs who want Ofori-Atta out to resort to the Parliamentary Party’s official communication channels to air their views, to ensure unity with the Parliamentary Party.
The Party Leaders also called upon all MPs in the caucus to attend to all government businesses brought before Parliament, “in particular the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy and all connected matters.“
Initial Plan To Boycott Budget Reading By NPP MPs
Members of Parliament in the Majority caucus have openly expressed their lack of confidence in their Party stalwart, Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s Minister for Finance and Economic Planning.
Initially, about 80 or more MPs held a press conference demanding for his dismissal. They had threatened to boycott all government businesses brought before Parliament should President Akufo-Addo refuse to heed their demand.
Soon afterwards, the President met with the Parliamentary Party and it was agreed that Ofori-Atta should be in office until the ongoing IMF negotiations are over and the 2023 budget is read and consequently appropriated.
However in a surprising turn of events, the group which had increased in number to about 98 MPs, threatened not to show up in Parliament on 24th November, the day of budget presentation if Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta appears before the house to present it.
Asante Akyem North MP, Andy Appiah-Kubi, a spokesperson for the group, claimed that some events that happened after they acceded to the President’s request, necessitated their agitation.
“After we met with the President and we had that understanding that [he] will accede to our request, after the two events were closed, we were of the conviction that [the] President will do so. But after that, the issues that were coming suggested that our understanding was probably wrong.
“Issues of interpretation came in where somebody said the President will accede to our request [others said] he’ll not do it [because] it is that time that he’ll consider to do it. Even people in the media were advocating that President did not categorically say he was going to do it. Therefore [we decided] to go back to were we were because if the President’s mind changed, we also reserve the right to change our minds.”
Andy Appaih-Kubi, MP
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