It's an unforced error - Dr Amoako Baah fumes over reshuffling of Haruna, Muntaka, others

Political Science lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Dr Amoako Baah, has stated that the changes in the minority’s leadership in parliament have created splits within the party and the entire nation.

According to him, the NDC executives erred in announcing the changes without first getting the buy-in of all those involved.

Speaking in an interview on Joy FM, the Lecturer argued that a political party does not have power over Parliament and asked them to rescind the decision because if it stands, it will produce a rift in the party and parliamentary procedures will be marred with problems.

“I will refer to it as an unforced error. They can do what they’ve done but this is not how we do it. It has to be done based on consensus. There are so many problems that have come up, I’m sure the party’s newly elected leaders thought they had the power and they can do this. But they don’t have that power.

“Right now, the majority is on the side of those who have been removed. When you go to parliament the party apparatus has no official power in parliament, they don’t. Whatever the party want to be done in parliament, it has to go through the MPs. Because parliament is the domain of MPs, not party officials, not the chairman and not the secretary.

“You’ve brought complete division into the party unnecessarily. You understand…so, they have brought up unnecessary problems. Is very tough… I’m sure the best way will be is to rescind the decision, because if the decision stand, then they have brought divisions into the party. Not only the party alone but the entire country,” he said.

The NDC in a statement signed by the General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey announced that it has made changes to the leadership of the minority in parliament.

The former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has been appointed as the Minority Leader in the 8th Parliament of Ghana’s Fourth Republic.

Kofi Armah Buah is also the Deputy Minority Chief Whip. Kwame Agbodza takes over as Chief Whip.

Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the First Deputy Minority Chief Whip, while Comfort Doyo Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is the Second Deputy Minority Chief Whip.

Meanwhile, The Tamale South Constituency Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abdul Rauf, has said that he and his constituents will not accept the decision of the national executive of the party to replace Haruna Iddrisu as the minority leader.

According to him, if the party fails to rescind its decision, he will lead the party’s faithful in his constituency to vote against it in the 2024 general elections.

AM/KPE