After months of public calls for the removal of the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, the agitation for his dismissal hit the closest to home when on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, over 80 NPP MPs echoed the calls.
The announcement by the MPs through spokesperson, Andy Appiah-Kubi, who is the Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim North, set the MPs on a path of rebellion against their party, the New Patriotic Party and the government.
“We have had occasions to defend allegations of conflicts of interest, lack of confidence, and trust against the leadership of the Finance Ministry.
“The recent development within the economy is of major concern to our caucus and our constituents. We have made our grave concern to our president through the parliamentary leadership and the leadership of the party without and positive response,” the spokesperson announcing the group’s demand in parliament said.
“We are by this medium communicating our strong desire that the president changes the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry without further delay in order to restore hope into the finance sector and reverse the downward trend in the growth of the economy,” Andy Appiah-Kubi added.
On two occasions following their announcement, the anti-Ofori-Atta NPP MPs have been compelled by their party and the government led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to lay back on their demand.
A second attempt by the rebel MPs to go back on their demand was made days ahead of the presentation of the 2023 budget statement and economic policy in parliament.
The MPs whose numbers had increased to about 98 ahead of the budget presentation, announced their decision to boycott the Thursday, November 24 event if Ken Ofori-Atta is allowed to present the budget in his capacity as finance minister.
However, the MPs were given raw deal by the leadership of their party who instructed them to participate fully in the presentation.
They were once again sold the idea that the president will consider their demand after the minister had presented the budget and concluded Ghana’s ongoing negotiation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
And so came the day of the budget presentation but unlike before, the majority MPs were silent throughout Ken Ofori-Atta’s lecture on the numbers and policies that will guide Ghana’s economy in 2023.
Largely, the chamber, in contrast to previous presentations which were met with cheers from the majority side in competition with jeers and boos from the minority side, was greeted with absolute silence.
In the case of the rebel NPP MPs, they were mostly spotted giving more attention to their mobile phones.
The MPs, in what looked like a protest to being compelled by their party to sit through the budget presentation, ignored the minister’s presentation on the floor of parliament.