The Minority in Parliament is threatening to disrupt proceedings next week by raising quorum concerns if the Majority fails to attend sessions in adequate numbers.
The caucus claims many Majority Members of Parliament (MPs) are prioritising campaign activities of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, over Parliamentary duties.
Ahmed Ibrahim, First Deputy Minority Whip, and Yusif Sulemana, MP for Bole-Bamboi, are leading the charge, demanding the Majority’s presence for meaningful business to take place in the House.
Mr Ibrahim indicated that “Mr Speaker, the government must bring government work, and government must make sure that government bench comes and when the government is making programme, the government must take into consideration that he’s been given a 4-year mandate to execute. As I speak to you, the flagbearer is in the north, running mate is in the south. You are campaigning, the MPs are following you…Meanwhile, you still have 4 months, and 1 week to be in government.”
“Who should do that work? You are thinking of breaking the eight and not solving the problems. Mr Speaker, this is serious…The flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, must release the MPs to come to parliament and work. The running mate Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh must release the MPs to come and work. Other than that, we will invoke articles 102 and 103.”
“…If next week all the 138 are not here Mr Speaker we will also sign leave of access for members to also go and be campaigning.”
Mr Sulemana further added “Mr speaker you asked us to come and even work on Mondays only for you not to come to work. I want to sound a caution that if they don’t attend, we will raise quorum as and when it is necessary and when we do it nobody should go and put on front pages that some 2 MPs have caused chaos in parliament.”
“That is not our nature. We are doing our work. We are paid to come and work. We have agreed that even on Mondays, we will come to work. Then we come and some will decide not to come. When in actual fact, you should be more concerned because you are the ones who are in government.”
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