Be careful how you use your powers - Asiedu Nketiah cautioned over Minority reshuffle

A Senior Research Fellow of the Kumasi Technical University, Dr. Smart Sarpong has condemned the approach used by the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to make changes in the Minority Caucus in Parliament.

The NDC, in a statement, announced the removal of the Tamale South MP, Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader and replaced him with the Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam and a former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.

The statement also named a new Minority Whip in the person of Hon. Kwame Agbodza to replace Muntaka Mubarak, MP for Asawase.

The party stressed that the “new leadership would be charged to recommend consequential changes in the Ranking membership to the headquarters of the party for approval”.

But Dr. Smart Sarpong, speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, was unhappy with the NDC leadership asking why they failed to inform the caucus before announcing the new changes.

To him, the best thing that the party led by its National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, should have done was to consult with the leaders, particularly the affected persons, to avoid turbulence and protest from the grass root level.

He cautioned the party's new national executives, specifically Mr. Asiedu Nketia, not to abuse the power given him by the members and supporters of the party.

"Let us be careful in how we use the power that people give us on those same people...In every step you are going to take from today onwards, please try and consult", he said and cautioned the NDC not to underestimate the relevance of votes from the constituencies that the two leaders, Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka Mubarak represent in Parliament.

"NDC cannot afford to lose Asawase seat. The votes that Asawase gives them is equal to or even more than about two or three constituencies in the Volta Region."