I don't think the people of this country should take the NPP seriously – Murtala Muhammed

The Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, has criticised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucus in Parliament for their refusal to attend the House sitting on Thursday, November 7, 2024.

In an interview with TV3, he stated that their action not only caused financial loss to the state but also demonstrated a lack of respect for Ghanaians.

“They are not just causing a financial loss to the state, but also showing disrespect and disregard for the people of this country. They knew they had no urgent business. Before Parliament sits, they need to go through the business of the House and the decisions to be taken, which are found in the order paper.

"For me, I don’t think the people of this country should take them seriously. They don’t have any respect for Ghanaians. If they had any respect for the people of Ghana, they wouldn’t have done what they are doing now.

“For me, that is a danger to our democracy. They need to respect the most important arm of government, the legislative arm. Assuming the Speaker had refused to admit their call, that would have been an issue,” he noted.

The Speaker, Alban Bagbin, on Thursday, November 7, 2024, suspended the sitting of the House sine die (indefinitely) following the NPP MPs' boycott of Parliament.

Why we boycotted Parliament for the second time - Afenyo-Markin explains

The leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has explained his caucus’s absence from proceedings in Parliament on Thursday, November 7, 2024.

Speaking to the media after the Speaker of Parliament adjourned the meeting indefinitely, Afenyo-Markin accused the Speaker of betraying an agreement made prior to the sitting.

According to him, they had agreed that Speaker Alban Bagbin would address the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament as the Minority Caucus and instruct them to sit on the minority side of the House.

He claimed that the Speaker had assured certain stakeholders, including the Peace Council of Ghana, that his earlier declaration of four seats in Parliament as vacant no longer stood after the Supreme Court's order.

He stated that the NPP MPs chose not to appear in the House because they did not want to participate in what they perceived as lawlessness.

Background

Controversy arose after the Supreme Court stayed the Speaker's decision to declare four seats vacant, following the affected MPs' decision to "cross the carpet" by filing to contest the December 7, 2024, parliamentary elections in different capacities—either as independents or on the tickets of other political parties. This action diverges from the basis on which these MPs were originally elected to the House.

The affected seats include those held by Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Andrew Amoako Asiamah (Fomena), and Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central).

Both sides of the House are now locked in a battle over which party holds the Majority, as the Supreme Court ruling positions the NDC in the Minority while the Speaker's ruling places the NPP in the Minority.

The core contention centres on whether the Supreme Court has the authority to restrict parliamentary decisions.

JKB/OGB

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