Ofori-Atta will be removed, I can assure you of that - Dr Amoako Baah

A leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Amoako Baah, has said that the fate of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has already been determined.

According to him, nothing the finance minister will say at the ongoing ad hoc committee hearing on a vote of censure motion against him will prevent him from being sacked.

Amoako Baah intimated that the NPP Members of Parliament (MP), who wanted Ofori-Atta removed, have come to terms with supporting their National Democratic Congress (NDC) colleagues to get the minister impeached after he spoke to them.

“At the end of the day, no matter what happens, no matter the response the minister gives, I can assure you it is a done deal. They are going to remove him. Because it used to be 80 NPP MPs (but) now it is 97 (98). It means more of the majority (caucus) members are upset. Initially, the issue was that the NDC has come up with some charges that they don’t agree with.

“It was all politics. Because NDC even though they also want to remove the minister, they are also paying politics. At the end of the day when election time comes, they will tell people, we are the ones who removed that minister … as though NPP didn’t do anything.

“So, they are reluctant to help the NDC say that. But I told them, it doesn’t matter, this is the only way you can remove the minister. You alone cannot remove the minister; they alone cannot remove the minister so please put the politics aside. Stand for your country, Ghana. That is what I told them,” he said in a Joy News interview monitored by GhanaWeb

The number of New Patriotic Party members of parliament calling for the sacking of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, 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 negotiation 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:

No matter the responses of the Finance Minister, I can assure you he will be removed - Dr Amoako Baah. #PMExpress pic.twitter.com/bKoCwbk9RZ

— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) November 17, 2022