The Minority Caucus’ resolution of censure against the troubled Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, will be investigated by an ad hoc committee, according to the Speaker of the House, Alban Bagbin.
The Speaker claims that such a committee will give the Finance Minister a chance to address any conflicts of interest that Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu may have brought up.
“The evidence will be placed before the committee. The Minister will have the opportunity to defend himself. A report will be presented to the House, and we will debate that report,” the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin said.
The committee will be co-chaired by Dominic Ayine, an NDC member of parliament for Bolgatanga East, and KT Hammond, an NPP member for Adansi-Asokwa. The committee’s report must be delivered to the House within seven (7) days.
Eight (8) members total—four (4) from each side of the House—will make up the committee.
On November 10, 2022, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, called for a vote of censure against Mr. Ofori-Atta on the House floor. Bagbin then made the decision.
Haruna Iddrisu claims that the Finance Minister’s unfitness for the position is evident from the inflation rate, the devaluation of the cedi, the excessive borrowing, the careless spending, and the inability to regulate fuel costs.
The Tamale South MP said, “Ghana’s economy is currently in a ditch” and he urged the House Majority to support the motion to fire the finance minister in order to restore investor confidence and prevent the country’s economy from collapsing completely.
However, the call from the Minority Leader was rejected by the Majority side, with Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Deputy Majority Leader, claiming that the call was made in bad faith and was not procedural.
He believes that the Minority Leader’s concerns are almost criminal in nature. He argued that Parliament cannot assume the authority to try the Finance Minister and urged the Speaker to provide Mr. Ofori-Atta with a chance to respond before a decision is reached.
The Parliament’s Majority caucus already stated that they would not support the Minority’s motion of censure against the Finance Minister.
The Majority group, which is led by Nana Ayew Afriyie, an MP for Effiduase/Asokore, announced at a press conference on Thursday that while they still stand by their decision to call for the dismissal of the Finance Minister, they will not support the motion put out by the Minority.
“We are not going to support the course of the NDC this morning. The course of the NDC is premised on falsehood, propaganda and reasons which are not justifiable. Their position might look like ours, but ours is different,” Ayew Afriyie said.
