Majority leader lacks mandate to present budget statement - NDC MP challenges

The Member of Parliament for Banda is challenging the legitimacy of the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Simon Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, as the President’s choice to present government's budget statement for the year 2021.

The Minister who is the Leader of Government’s Business in Parliament has been tasked by the President to make the presentation scheduled for March 12, 2021.

However, speaking in an interview with Okay FM monitored by GhanaWeb, Ahmed Ibrahim quoting Order 141 and 142 of Parliament’s standing Orders challenged the President’s choice indicating the Minister lacks the mandate to present the budget.

According to him the only way the President can remedy the situation is to elect an interim Finance Minister who will have the capacity and the backing of the constitution to execute the role.

Asked what the Minority will do if the President decides not to back down, Mr Ibrahim urged the president to do the needful in order to avoid confrontations adding that the Minority will be compelled to raise serious objections and act.

“We can’t leave in a country without a Finance Minister, there must be somebody responsible. We (Parliament) have approved 28 Ministers who have been sworn in. Out of the 28 one must be tasked to take charge of the Ministry of Finance until the substantive Minister comes, that is the position of we in the opposition,” he stated.

The Minister-designate for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, is yet to be vetted by Parliament’s Appointment Committee having had to travel to the US for medical attention after suffering post-COVID-19 recovery complications.

The President in his stead has nominated the Majority Leader to present the budget statement to Parliament on Friday.