The Majority leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu says all Committees to be constituted by Parliament will be chaired by members of the Majority Group.

Speaking with JoyNews, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu indicated that claims of members in the Minority chairing the yet to be approved Committees are false.

According to him, legislators of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2009 after winning the 2008 general elections constituted the Majority Caucus, hence chaired the various approved Committees in Parliament.

He, therefore, indicated that holding the Majority side in the 8^th Parliament, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs will chair the various Committees.

“On what account does the NDC wants to chair the various Committees?” he quizzed.

Mr Osei Kyei says the ratio in Parliament is not 137 to 137 but rather 138 to 137.

“For purposes of transacting businesses if the person (Fomena MP) joins, that is it. You should go into history to see what happened. In 2009, after the election, Parliament was to be sworn in, the NDC had 114 members.

“The number at the time was 230, they didn’t have a majority. They were joined by other parties and independent members to cross the 115 barrier and that made them the Majority Caucus, for which reason they chaired all committees in the House. What is different now?” he added.

The Suame MP further stated that three Committees have so far been approved by Parliament. They include the Committee of Selection, Business Committee and the Appointments Committee.

The Appointments Committee which sees to the vetting of nominees appointed by President Akufo-Addo is chaired by First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu and assisted by Alexander Afenyo-Markin.

The two legislators both form part of the Majority Group in Parliament.

Meanwhile, the 2021 fiancial budget will be presented to Parliament this Friday, March 12.

On the said matter, the Majority leader says its composition will be taken to plenary for consideration and approval.

Source: MyJoyonline

The Member of Parliament for Tafo Pankorono Constituency, Vincent Ekow Assafuah is asking the House to cite the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi for contempt.

This according to him is because the “disparaging remarks” made by Mr. Gyamfi about the leadership of the NDC in the House and Speaker Alban Bagbin is an attempt to impugn the integrity of legislators.

His comment comes in the wake of the alleged attack launched by Sammy Gyamfi on the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin and the leadership of the Minority MPs including the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu and the Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak after the House voted to confirm some ministerial nominees.

In a post on his official Facebook wall, the outspoken politician accused leadership of betraying party supporters by failing to carry out their threat to reject some nominees.

“Comrades, the betrayal we have suffered in the hands of the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, the leadership of our Parliamentary group, particularly Hon. Haruna Iddrissu and Hon. Muntaka Mubarak, and dozens of our own MPs, is what strengthens me to work hard for the great NDC to regain power.”

“It’s about time we understood, that we don’t have any NDC Speaker of Parliament. No we don’t! We have a Speaker who rode on the back of the NDC into Office to pursue his own parochial agenda and nothing more. You trust them, at your own peril,” part of the post read.

But reacting to this, the former Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Education described the conduct of Sammy Gyamfi as “an affront to Parliament and a blatant breach of Article 122 of the 1992 constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament, specifically order 30(2)”.

He further stated that “as a Member of Parliament and having sworn an oath of allegiance before the Speaker of Parliament, I find it both shocking and highly scandalizing that Sammy Gyamfi would take on the Rt. Hon in such a brazen outburst, which is the characteristic of many of his public utterances”.

The Tafo legislator who says he feels highly burdened by his oath of office to protect the sanctity and dignity of Parliament asked Ghanaians to condemn Mr. Gyamfi’s utterances without reservation.

Vincent Ekow Assafuah also challenged the NDC Communications Officer to provide evidence of his allegations against the Speaker. He added that Parliament must and should summon him if he fails to provide the said eveidence within the next 72 hours.

Source: MyJoyonline

Founder and leader of Alive Chapel International, Bishop Elisha Salifu Amoako has indicated that former President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to go to court after the 2020 polls was borne-out of false hope given by some persons around him.

Speaking to the media following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday, March 4, 2021 he said “I believe that some people and some lawyers in the NDC did not give Mahama good advice. They pushed Mahama to go to court, assuring him of winning the case; they instilled some hope in him that the case will favour him.”

“Mahama and his legal team did not do their homework well. Prophetically, I was telling Mahama to accept defeat and if he had accepted defeat, it would not have travelled to this point, wasting money and time in court”, he added.

He however, commended the NDC Flagbearer for going to court instead of causing mayhem with his supporters over his displeasure with the election results.

He said, “We, therefore, have to commend President Mahama and the NDC for going to court rather than using machetes to drum home their demands. The way the NDC handled the 2020 election should be applauded because they could have caused a mess in the country.

“We cannot say that Mahama and the NDC have made a mistake going to court to address their grievances about the 2020 election; it is their legal right to go to court as it is the same court that has the authority and power to determine the matter.”

GhanaFeed.com