Council of Elders of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) yesterday met with the leadership of the party and its caucus in Parliament over the parliamentary approval of some ministerial nominees of President Nana Akufo-Addo.
This followed an earlier meeting of the council with the leadership of the party on March 9, 2021, to discuss issues relating to the recent developments in Parliament arising from the approval the ministers-designate.
It would be called that Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu and Minority Whip Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka were virtually insulted by the NDC’s National Communications Officer, Mr Sammy Gyamfi, after the house passed three ministerial nominees on March 3.
The sector ministers included Kojo Oppong Nkrumah for Information, Mavis Hawa Koomson for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and Dr Owusu Afriyie-Akoto for the Food and Agriculture.
Sammy Gyamfi was angry because the NDC MPs help to pass the nominees despite express directives from the Functional Executive Committee of the party, that those ministers-designate should not go through for ‘funny’ reasons.
In a social Facebook post on Thursday March 4, 2021, NDC communications officer said the party no longer regarded Mr Bagbin as an NDC Speaker, even though he attained the position on the party’s ticket.
He accused Mr Bagbin and the leadership of the Minority Caucus, of betraying the party by approving the nominees.
“Some have sold their conscience but ours is intact. And we can work together to rebuild the party from the ashes of 3 March 2021, which I call ‘Black Wednesday’ – our day of self-inflicted shame”, Sammy Gyamfi stated.
He added that “This is the time for us to insist on the right changes in the leadership of the NDC group in Parliament or forget about them completely.
Yesterday’s meeting did not reprimand Sammy Gyamfi but rather appeared to reinforce the vituperations of the party’s national communications officer
The Chairman of the Council of Elders, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, in a statement, noted that the Council and the caucus’ leadership collectively agreed that the incident of 3 March 2021, where the ministerial nominees were approved contrary to the express directives of the party that they should be rejected, was “regrettable and unfortunate, and runs contrary to the principles and values of the party.”
According to the statement, the leadership of the caucus have since pledged to uphold the principles and values of the party in their collective bid to develop the country.
The Council urged the national leadership of the party to resolve issues relating to the caucus leadership in Parliament and called on the rank and file of the party to remain calm, and provide the needed support to the parliamentary caucus in order to hold the Akufo-Addo-led government strictly to the principles of probity and accountability.
The Council expressed confidence that the party will emerge from “this challenges more united and focused to take on the government, as the NDC strives in pursuit of an inclusive Ghana.
