Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka has attributed his recent victory to God after accusing individuals within the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of plotting to cause his defeat during the party’s parliamentary primaries.
The NDC leadership, the former Minority Chief Whip added, have been scheming to get him out of Parliament for some time now.
Speaking to journalists after the party’s primaries last Saturday, Mr. Muntaka said the recent change in the minority leadership in Parliament was part of the grand scheme.
He argued that whilst Haruna Iddrisu was going unopposed in Tamale South, James Klutse Avedzi was no longer standing for re-election in Ketu North, he was the only in the parliamentary primaries with a contender and therefore the plot to get him out.
“I can tell you, it was part of the strategy to get me out. No political person will say that wasn’t part of the strategy to get me out. Avedzi wasn’t contesting again, Haruna didn’t have any contenders and I was the only one who had a contender, so to have done that at that time was part of the strategy to get me out.
“But like I keep saying, God is not their village Chief, God doesn’t hate people because you hate them. God doesn’t dislike people because you dislike them. He looks at our hearts,” Mr. Muntaka stated.
Background
It would be recalled that the Asawase MP was replaced on January 24 this year as Minority Chief Whip by Governs Kwame Agbodza while Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu and Deputy Minority Leader James Klutse Avedzi were replaced by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and Emmanuel Armah-Buah respectively.
NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah who was reported to have masterminded what some political pundits had described as a “coup d’état” together with the party’s General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, claimed party had acted tactically.
According to him, going into the 2024 general election, issues about the economy will become very topical and therefore the need for someone who has mastery in that regard.
This, he indicated, was the basis for selecting Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to be the party’s new minority leader.
He added that issues surrounding energy will become critical ahead of the next elections, and therefore the party’s decision to choose Emmanuel Kofi-Armah Buah as the Deputy Minority Leader.
On the Deputy Minority Leader role, the NDC national chairman said changing of James Klutse Avedzi was due to the MP’s decision to exit parliament.
Public protests
Following the changes in the minority leadership, some lawmakers including Tamale Central MP Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed and Alhassan Suhuyini, publicly criticised the decision.
According to them, the timing of the decision by the party’s hierarchy was ‘wrong’.
Muntaka’s victory
Mr. Muntaka who has been in Parliament since 2005, faced stiff contest from Masawudu Mubarick in the Asawase constituency parliamentary race.
He emerged victorious with 1,063 of the total valid votes cast while his main contender polled only 735 votes.
‘We’re not working against Muntaka’
Just after the shakeup in parliament, the National Communications Officer of the NDC Sammy Gyamfi debunked rumours that the leadership of the party was working to remove Muntaka as its MP for Asawase.
Rumours of Muntaka’s removal was rife after some party supporters and branch executives in the Asawase constituency organised what was said to be a contrived news conference to question the competence of their MP with some demanding for him to be replaced going into the 2024 general election.
The announcement of Muntaka’s removal as the Minority Chief Whip further generated a series of agitations in Asawase where the MP sued 11 branch executives for defamation and was demanding GH¢10 million in damages.
However, speaking on ‘Face to Face’ on Citi TV some weeks ago, Sammy Gyamfi said it was ridiculous the rumour had gained traction because the party doesn’t have the power to remove legislators.
“It is ridiculous because the party cannot remove any Member of Parliament. MPs are elected by their constituents, so the party has no power to remove a Member of Parliament. The fate of all aspirants or candidates will be determined by the delegates in the 275 constituencies and so the party will not protect any individual, but the party is protecting all the 275 seats but also where for good reason, the party has to engage various stakeholders on specific issues to build consensus, the party will do so.”
