The New Patriotic Party, NPP, caucus in Parliament have been declared majority by Speaker -Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin.
The declaration by the Speaker on Friday has ended protracted debate surrounding whether or not the NPP constitutes majority after the only independent candidate in the house announced to sit and do business with them.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) both have 137 parliamentarians. The only independent parliamentarian, Andrews Amoako Asiamah, MP for Fomena Constituency has however said will sit and do business with the NPP caucus.
The Fomena MP was a member of the NPP but was stripped of his membership after he defied the party to contest the 2020 Parliamentary election as an Independent Candidate.
Leader of the NDC caucus Haruna Iddrisu indicated at a press conference Thursday that, regardless of decision taken by the independent Candidate, NPP still does not have the majority in the House.
However, at a counter-press briefing same day, the leader of the NPP caucus Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu explained that the matter of who constitutes a majority in the House should not be a subject of litigation by the two parties in Parliament as it is rather a case of the side with the most numbers, therefore, the Fomena MP’s decision to sit with the NPP caucus makes them a majority, however, expecting the Speaker to make a final determination on the matter Friday.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin after reading an official letter written to him by the independent Lawmaker on the floor of Parliament indicating that he will sit and do business with the NPP caucus, declared that “this makes the NPP caucus majority group”
The declaration triggered cheers from the NPP caucus who were in all white dress and reported to Parliament as early as 4:00am today.
Meanwhile, a former Member of Parliament for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Okaikoi South but now the Managing Director of State Transport Company (STC) Nana Akomea had already revealed that the NPP would have been left with no other option than to trigger a by-election at Fomena Constituency should the speaker of Parliament failed to declare NPP caucus majority
Speaking on Good Morning Ghana show on Metro TV hosted by astute Journalist Randy Abbey, Nana Akomea who is a Former NPP MP for Okaiko and a former Director of Communication for the NPP said, should the speaker rule against the NPP, the party will have no other option than to trigger a by-election by ensuring that the Fomena MP resigns as MP, formerly rejoins the NPP and re-contest in the by-election.
He believes this could have been the only way to bring finality to the confusion surrounding which party or parties form a majority in Parliament.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
