Details on how the majority in Parliament allegedly flew four of their members into the country to ostensibly vote when the house convened to take a decision on the 2022 budget are beginning to emerge from the minority.
The minority alleged that the four members of the majority, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, MP for Atiwa West, Kennedy Agyapong, MP for Assin Central, Anhere, MP for Atwima Nwabiagya and Henry Quartey, MP for Ayawaso Central who were out of the country attending to medical treatment had to be flown into the country to help the house take that decision on the aforementioned budget.
Disclosing the names of the four, Kwame Governs Agbodza, MP for Adaklu, noted in an interview with an Accra base radio station that the MPs were flown in to add up the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs numbers in order to get the 2022 budget statement approved.
He further alleged that despite that, the absence of Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, caused the majority to stage a walkout as they realized they did not have the numbers.
“We went to parliament, NPP threw the book away, tried everything else… We know for sure that they flew at least four of our colleagues. The roads minister [Kwasi Amoako-Attah, MP for Atiwa West], my good friend Honourable Kennedy Agyapong [MP for Assin Central], Honourable Anhwere [MP for Atwima Nwabiagya South] and Henry Quartey [MP for Ayawaso Central] were flown from America… Anhwere was coming from Germany”, he remarked during the interview.
“The three of them were forced to leave… In fact, the three of them were receiving medical treatment or allegedly we were told they were having medical treatment but they were flown down to participate in the vote.
Well, they came but one person, Honorable Adwoa Sarfo, could not be found which means that our colleagues could not account for the 138 they wanted to beat us. Out of that, fearing the obvious defeat they decided to walk out and guess what… NDC has walked out many times and business went on perfectly. In fact, even not to vote is a means of exercising your right. So if they decided not to vote, that doesn’t mean parliament will not go on”, he further stated.
The house on Friday, November 26, 2021 rejected the 2022 budget statement after the majority staged a walkout over what they say was an unfair application of parliamentary rules by Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament.
They organized a press conference stating that what had transpired in the House was unconstitutional and thus have no effect on parliament.
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