I’m saddened by the actions of the 98 anti-Ofori-Atta NPP MPs – Mireku Duker

Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker, has bemoaned the actions of his colleague New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) who are calling for the head of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.

Speaking in an interview on Peace FM’s Kokorokoo morning show on Friday, which was monitored by GhanaWeb, Mireku Duker said that the actions and pronouncements of the anti-Ofori-Atta NPP MPs will certainly do some damage to the image of the party.

The deputy lands minister, who is also the MP for Tarkwa Nsuaem, added that some of the things being said by the 98 NPP MPs could have been addressed by the party internally.

“… when it happens that your party and your government cannot resolve issues internally but must resort to making public pronouncements it is not the best. Sometimes we have to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. If I were the president and MPs from my own party are berating me in public while I have not broken any law, I will be offended.

“That is the pain I feel. I don’t think all ministers of past governments have been 100 percent perfect. I don’t think MPs of any of these governments come together to force their president to sack their ministers. I don’t think so, it has never happened before.

“Not all NDC (National Democratic Congress) MPs were happy with Seth Terkper but they never organised to seek for his removal by the president,” he said in Twi.

Meanwhile, the number of NPP MPs calling for the sacking of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has increased to 98 from the initial 80.

The 80 MPs had earlier made calls for the dismissal of Ken Ofori-Atta and the Minister of State for Finance, Charles Adu Boahen.

The MPs later backed down following a meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who asked that the minister be given time to conclude Ghana’s ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund as well as the presentation of the 2023 budget in parliament.

But speaking in an interview with JoyNews, the spokesperson of the 80 MPs, Andy Appiah-Kubi, has stated that the group is back to their initial demand for the removal of the finance minister.

According to the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, their renewed demand with the support of 18 other members of their caucus is because the minister’s position is now untenable.

He added that the anti-Ofori-Atta MPs will boycott the budget presentation if he is allowed to come to parliament to present the budget.

Watch the interview below:

You can also catch GhanaWeb TV’s interview with Elvis Afriyie Ankrah below:





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