Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a leading figure within the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), has appealed to Parliament to prevent chaos and disorder during its sitting on Tuesday, October 22.
In a Facebook post on Sunday (20 October), Otchere-Darko called for calm amid rising tensions following the Speaker’s controversial decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant.
His comments follow a threat from the NDC caucus to occupy the Majority side of the chamber despite a Supreme Court ruling that temporarily stayed the Speaker’s declaration.
The Speaker’s move had sparked a confrontation between the Majority and Minority, with the latter vowing to assert their claim during the upcoming session.
The Supreme Court, in its ruling last Thursday, granted an application for a stay of execution on the Speaker’s decision, blocking any immediate changes to Parliament’s composition.
As tensions simmer, Otchere-Darko has urged both sides to respect the rule of law to safeguard Ghana’s democracy and avoid a breakdown of order.
“Parliament must, by all means, avoid a situation of seeming chaos and anarchy Tuesday. I suggest the two Leaders and Speaker meet before then to agree or agree to disagree on the next steps. Not long to Dec 7, let maturity be our guide and guard,” he wrote.
Bawumia jabs
Meanwhile, the Vice President and presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has called out the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its caucus in Parliament noting that the party and its members in the House cannot use political tactics to manufacture parliamentary majority for themselves.
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia speaking to a huge crowd in Nkawkaw, as part of the continuation of his constituency-based campaign tour in the Eastern Region on Saturday, 19 October 2024, said if the NDC wants to have the majority in Parliament, they ought to go on the ground to the polling station, to the constituencies, and campaign to win the required number of seats to constitute majority in Parliament.
“It is very important that you vote for me Dr Bawumia, but it is even more important that you vote for Joseph Frimpong because we want the parliamentary majority. The current state of 137 – 137 in the house has resulted in the NDC doing everything possible to frustrate government business.
“Two days ago, they did something in Parliament after which they claimed they are the majority in Parliament. I believe you have heard it. They only had a 24-hour majority, the shortest-living majority that I know of in history,” the Vice President and presidential candidate of the NPP remarked.
“I want to let the NDC know that if they majority in Parliament, they should come to the polling station. they should come to the constituency, win an election and then go to Parliament. You cannot sit in Parliament and manufacture a majority for yourself. we will meet them at the constituencies, we will meet them at the polling stations,” Dr Bawumia further remarked.
“What I can assure you from what I know after visiting over 200 constituencies, campaigning on the ground, and seeing the data if we were voting today, the NPP would have a decisive majority, not a majority but a decisive majority in Parliament. We will win at the polling stations,” the NPP leader, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia added.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH
Email Daily Mail GH: stories@dailymailgh.com or
Whatsapp: +233(0)509928122
