In response to the NPP's boycott of parliament, Kennedy said, "The speaker was right, but our leadership was wrong."

Kennedy Agyapong, the vocal representative of Assin Central, was one of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs who did not attend today's parliamentary sessions. Agyapong gave reporters his take on the matter after the Speaker of Parliament decided to delay the session indefinitely, explaining the circumstances surrounding the unannounced absence of NPP MPs. The NPP caucus had not purposefully boycotted parliament, Agyapong clarified. Rather, they decided to adjourn when they were in the midst of an important internal meeting that was addressing party concerns. He underlined that the timing was accidental, implying that the mistake resulted from a straightforward misunderstanding between the Speaker and the NPP leadership.

“It was not deliberate that we will boycott parliament today," Agyapong said. "What actually happened was that we wanted to get the understanding from the Speaker, so we were at the NPP caucus meeting when we heard that parliament had been adjourned indefinitely."

According to Agyapong, the NPP meeting stretched on for longer than expected, leading to the Speaker’s decision to adjourn, assuming there was a lack of quorum. However, Agyapong highlighted that the Speaker likely was unaware of the ongoing caucus meeting. "I think that the Speaker is not aware that we are having such a meeting and I am not part of the leadership, so I can’t say anything about that to the Speaker."

Known for being straightforward, Agyapong feels that if NPP leadership had told the Speaker about their caucus meeting, the crisis would have been averted. He said that in this instance, "the Speaker is right, and the NPP leadership should have informed him that we were having a meeting." "If our leadership should have engaged the Speaker, this wouldn't have happened," he said.

The communication and cooperation between party leadership and parliamentary authorities, as well as inside Parliament, are called into question by this episode. Some political observers are worried that if these kinds of instances continue, the public's trust in Parliament may be damaged. The NPP will likely be careful to prevent such misconceptions in the future, given Agyapong's remarks, particularly as the nation gets closer to important parliamentary and presidential elections.

Source: GHOne TV