A former Deputy Managing Director of the National Investment Bank (NIB), and an activist of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Alfred Thompson has taken on the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for stepping down from the Appointments Committee.
According to him, Ghanaians deserve to know why the legislator took that decision.
“Why would Okudzeto Ablakwa all of a sudden resign from the Appointments Committee, and he tells us (Ghanaians) it’s a personal and a principled decision? What is that? Once something is called principled, it’s not personal any more, so it’s for all of us to know what the issues are and if he wants to make it personal then, he should resign as MP because whatever you are fighting will still be happening,” Mr. Thompson said on Citi TV‘s Breakfast Daily show on Thursday, April 1, 2021.
The North Tongu legislator resigned from the Appointments Committee on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, at a time the leadership of the Minority is being lambasted for helping to approve some ministers flagged by the National Democratic Congress.
Mr. Ablakwa attributed the decision to personal reasons and principles.
But Mr. Thompson believes Mr. Ablakwa must make the reasons known to the public.
“Let’s put the issue of Mr. Ofori-Atta’s approval on the table now. So everyone on the committee has approved him and only one person thinks that on principle, he is the smartest person on the entire committee. When you become an MP you are subjected to the people of this country especially your constituents. So he shouldn’t be a coward and hide under principle and what not. He should make the issues known and get the issues resolved.”
The NPP communicator was of the view that the seeming tension within the Minority front is a result of individual interests.
“The only thing they are fighting about is who should lead the party, not the presidency but who will get hold of the party. This is because they believe that Mr. Mahama has become the full runner of the party because everyone knows him and some also think Haruna [Iddrisu] is also becoming too powerful in Parliament, so why don’t we take him out and get the Mahama boys to take over.”