Several members of Parliament, including innocent ones, became targets after a group of New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmakers petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack his then Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Adu Boahen, to restore public confidence in the economy.
This was announced in a media briefing by their spokesperson, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim North, in Parliament on Tuesday, October 25, 2022.
The group, under the hashtag #KenMustGo, said it would not do business with the government nor support the 2023 Budget if the president failed to heed their calls.
According to them, the move followed previous concerns sent to the government that had not yielded any positive results.
"We have had occasions to defend allegations of conflicts of interest, lack of confidence, and trust against the leadership of the Finance Ministry. The recent development within the economy is of major concern to our caucus and our constituents. We have made our grave concern known to our president through the parliamentary leadership and the leadership of the party without any positive response," Andy Appiah-Kubi said.
The MPs believed the move would change the current economic situation in the country.
"We are by this medium communicating our strong desire that the president changes the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry without further delay in order to restore hope in the finance sector and reverse the downward trend in the growth of the economy," he added.
About 80 NPP MPs reportedly signed the petition for the sacking of the Finance Minister.
After their action, several political pundits warned of repercussions for such MPs, including possibly losing their seats for attacking the then Finance Minister.
Among the several MPs, three have publicly attributed the failure to retain their seats to their participation in the anti-Ofori-Atta campaign.
Some of these MPs failed to win re-election in the 2024 general elections, while others also failed to win their party's ticket during the NPP's parliamentary primaries.
The then Majority Leader of Parliament, Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, is also alleged to have suffered losing his status as leader over the campaign, according to one of the advocates, the MP for Subin.
Here is a list of the MPs who have admitted the protest caused their loss:
Andy Appiah-Kubi
Andy Appiah-Kubi, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akim North, recently reflected on his loss in the 2024 general elections, attributing it to his outspoken advocacy on key national issues.
The MP lost his parliamentary seat to an independent candidate, Ohene Kwame Frimpong, who polled 26,926 of the total votes as against 8,933 garnered by Appiah-Kubi.
Speaking in an interview on Citi FM on December 8, 2024, Appiah-Kubi emphasized that he has no regrets about his principled stance on matters such as economic mismanagement and governance.
He was a vocal critic of Ken Ofori-Atta, calling for his dismissal due to allegations of economic mismanagement and conflicts of interest.
"In Asante Akim, I lost the seat. People voted, and they voted against my candidature; they had a preference and voted for somebody else. And I have no qualms with that. And I'm not pointing accusing fingers. We all have to accept the process and I totally accept the results of the process.
"I was a target through my advocacy, and I don't regret doing that, and I'm very happy that I had the audience of the public listening to our request then. If I ever fall victim to my advocacy, at least I'm still alive and have a fallback position, and I have no regrets."
Dickson Adomako Kissi
Dickson Adomako Kissi, Member of Parliament for Anyaa Sowutoum Constituency, speaking in an interview on Neat FM on December 19, 2024, stated, "When I did my retrospection, I realized the Ken Must Go was one of the reasons why I lost the primaries and the election. I won't lie to you. Maybe I was annoying, but that brought more anger."
Eugene Boakye Antwi
Eugene Boakye Antwi, the Member of Parliament for the Subin constituency in the Ashanti Region, also shared insights into the reasons behind his loss in the NPP primaries ahead of the 2024 elections, acknowledging that his criticism of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta may have played a significant role.
Speaking in an interview with Oyerepa TV on August 14, 2024, Eugene Boakye Antwi echoed similar sentiments regarding his electoral loss.
When asked about the possible link between his support for the 'Ken Must Go' campaign and his failure to retain his seat, he stated, "For me, on the issue of Ken Ofori-Atta, if I have to lose my seat, God is my witness because I will talk about him anytime, and the evidence will prove me right."
Antwi, however, emphasized that he does not solely attribute his loss to his opposition to Ofori-Atta.
He explained that even his government can work to sabotage itself when one does not support certain things about the government. He explained that such things have been going on for a long time.
When the host asked him if people took offence at him for supporting such a campaign, he stated that posterity would judge. He also admitted personal responsibility for the defeat, saying, "I blame myself for the defeat because I don't blame anybody. I have to take full responsibility for my actions because Ken Ofori-Atta does not live in Subin."
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
The Member of Parliament for Subin, Eugene Boakye Antwi, in an interview, detailed the reasons behind the removal of Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu as Majority Leader, alleging that Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a cousin of President Akufo-Addo and Ken Ofori-Atta was the mastermind behind it.
According to Boakye Antwi, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko spearheaded Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu's removal because he mistakenly believed that the former Majority Leader was eyeing the position of Minister of Finance, a claim Boakye Antwi insists is untrue.
Speaking in an interview on Oyerepa TV, Boakye Antwi explained that after a group of MPs held a press conference under the banner "Ken Must Go," Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was wrongly accused of being involved in the movement, which was not the case.
"Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was removed after the 'Ken Must Go' press conference. They sacked him because he came to my house. Ghana's 'prime minister' said certain things, and in the end, it was linked back to the Majority Leader. Gabby Otchere-Darko falsely believed that Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu wanted the finance minister position," Boakye Antwi narrated.
He further stated that, "Gabby is a liar. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was never behind the 'Ken Must Go' issue. Gabby even called me to his house, and I told him to record whatever I was saying. During our conversation, we made it clear that we wanted an MP to be the finance minister. Gabby assumed it was Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu."
AM/GA
Also, watch Ada MP's brief 'argument' with Speaker over $11m Pwalugu Dam payment below:
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