Speaker Alban Bagbin

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) political giants, Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu and Minority Chief Whip Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka have been cruelly bitten and badly bruised by one of their ‘Babies with sharp teeth’.

NDC National Communications Officer Mr Sammy Gyamfi who publicly attacked these leaders, described them as traitors who are virtually trading the collective interest of the party for their parochial gains.

According to him, these leaders and other NDC Members of Parliament (MPs) have “brazenly defied the leadership of the party and betrayed the collective good for their selfish interest”.

Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu

NDC, he maintained, will not allow these ‘traitors’ to stand in the way of the party.

“We must not let them succeed in their parochial quest to destroy the NDC, the party that has done so much for them and all of us.

“The shame they have brought on the party will forever hang like an albatross around their necks”, he stressed following the approval of some ministerial nominees of President Nana Akufo-Addo in the early hours of yesterday.

Mr Sammy Gyamfi did not understand why Speaker Alban Bagbin, Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu and Minority Chief Whip Muntaka should allow the approval of nominees including Dominic Nitiwul for the Ministry of Defence, Ambrose Dery for the Interior Ministry, Albert Kan-Dapaah for the National Security and three others in the legislature.

In a statement on Facebook, the NDC national communications officer claimed it is time for members of the party “to insist on the right changes in the leadership of the NDC group in Parliament or forget about them completely.”

According to him, members of the current leadership have lost their moral authority to lead and are not fit to sit on the front bench of the NDC side of the house.

Parliamentary approval

Parliament on Wednesday approved the nomination of 13 ministers-designate with 10 by consensus and 3 by majority decision

Sammy Gyamfi and leaders of the NDC as well as their supporters were unhappy that Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister-designate for Information; Mavis Hawa Koomson, Minister-designate of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development; and Dr Owusu Afriyie-Akoto, Minister-designate for Food and Agriculture, were approved and the NDC lawmakers were not able to block their approval.  

In his statement, Sammy Gyamfi said if the leadership of the NDC in Parliament can defy the party’s leadership and interest openly and “subject all of us to public ridicule, then they can and must also be called out openly. The NDC party is supreme and it must be cleansed”.

Below is the full statement by Sammy Gyamfi:

Minority Chief Whip Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka

Comrades, the betrayal we have suffered in the hands of the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, the leadership of our Parliamentary group, particularly Hon. Haruna Iddrisu and Hon. Muntaka Mubarak, and dozens of our own MPs, is what strengthens me to work hard for the great NDC to regain power.

They brazenly defied the leadership of the party and betrayed the collective good for their selfish interest. And we, must not let them succeed in their parochial quest to destroy the NDC, the party that has done so much for them and all of us. The shame they have brought on the party will forever hang like an albatross around their necks.

These are hard times for all of us but we should not let the betrayal of a few quench our love for the great NDC. Rather, let it strengthen us to fight for this party. We all have an equal stake in this party. They are few, we are many. Some have sold their conscience but ours is intact. And we, can work together to rebuild the party from the ashes of 3rd March, 2021, which I call “Black Wednesday”- Our day of self-inflicted shame.

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. The current leadership have lost their moral authority to lead and are not fit to sit on the front bench of the NDC side of the house. More importantly, it’s about time we understood, that we don’t have any NDC Speaker of Parliament. No we don’t! We have a Speaker who rode on the back of the NDC into Office to pursue his own parochial agenda and nothing more. You trust them, at your own peril.

The hypocrites can choose to remain quiet or even condemn us for speaking up, so they can remain in the good books of the renegades. But I and all who are pained by this act of betrayal will not keep quiet, because we don’t fear anyone and don’t wish to be in their good books. If they can defy the party leadership and interest openly and subject all of us to public ridicule, then they can and must also be called out openly. The NDC party is supreme and it must be cleansed.

Speak up, we can and must! And let nobody stand in our way. But, when all is said and done, let’s work for the NDC with all our might and strength. Quench not your love for the party. Hope must not die. This storm shall pass. The NDC will survive and shall bounce back stronger for victory. So I say to you, be strong!

*Sammy Gyamfi Esq.*