I’ ve no seat to sit on –Haruna cries out
The Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, on Thursday, February 9, 2023 walked into the chamber of the Parliament of Ghana , where discussions were ongoing about the consideration of the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on the African Union Convention on cross-border cooperation ( Niamey Convention ), and told the Speaker that he has no seat to sit on.
According to him, ever since he was ousted as the Minority Leader in a reshuffle that many have termed as a‘ palace coup’ orchestrated by the national leadership of the National Democratic Congress ( NDC ), he has not been allocated a seat, in spite of the fact that he still remains the elected MP for Tamale South .
Haruna Iddrisu, wearing a white traditional apparel with a black shoe to match, further told the House, which was presided over the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP for Bekwai, Joseph Osei Owusu, that he was first offered the seat of Collins Dauda, but he declined with the reason that the honourable MP for Asutifi South is his senior in the legislature and also older than him in terms of age.
“Mr . Speaker, forgive me that I have to assume your chair.
There was [ an arrangement ] whether I should take over from Collins Dauda or not. And I told them Collins Dauda is a senior by age and a senior even to this House and I will not take over his chair, as somebody who is well trained from home.
So, any other chair is acceptable to me. Mr. Speaker, I am still the elected Member of Parliament for Tamale South.
I thank you”, he noted in his concluding remarks on the Niamey Convention.
It was the first time the former Minority Leader was making an appearance on the floor of the House, since the commencement of the First Meeting of the Third Session of the eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic on February 7, 2023.
Following the NDC ’ s reshuffle in their parliamentary leadership, there have been some changes in the seating arrangements on the side of the Minority Group.
For instance, the immediate past deputy Minority Leader now sits directly behind the new Majority Chief Whip and MP for Adaklu , Kwame Governs Agboza.
The immediate past Minority Chief Whip and MP for Asawase , Mohammed Muntaka-Mubarak has also been allocated a different seat , when many had assumed that he would be allocated the seat of his successor . On Tuesday , January 24 , 2023 the NDC announced some changes in their parliamentary leadership.
Then Ranking Member on the Finance Committee and MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam , Casiel Ato Forson replaced the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu.
The Ranking Member on the Committee on Trade , Industry and Tourism and MP for Ellembelle , Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah also replaced the Deputy Minority Leader and MP for Ketu North , James Klutse Avedzi , while the Ranking Member on the Committee for Roads and Transport and MP for Adaklu , Kwame Governs Agboza replaced the MP for Asawase , Mohammed Muntaka-Mubarak.
I’ ll change voting pattern in Volta – Kyerematen
Aspiring NPP flag bearer Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen — Aspiring NPP flag bearer Aspiring New Patriotic Party ( NPP ) flag bearer, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, has said the voting pattern in the Volta Region will change drastically in favour of the party, if he gets the nod from the delegates at the primaries.
He said he enjoyed massive goodwill from the people of the Volta Region, which he described as his second home, adding that the goodwill would definitely influence the choice of President in the 2024 elections.“
For the people of the Volta Region, it is a case of bringing Alan and we will have a change of mind, ” the aspiring flag bearer said at a news conference in Ho last Thursday.
Mr Kyerematen said history might not be in favour of the NPP with regard to general election in the Volta Region, but it had now become clear that Ghana needed a new precedent which required the election of the new leader who would leverage on his credibility with the people to lift the country to greater development heights . “ The 2024 general election is very critical in the country ’ s history, with greater emphasis on a leader who will be the preference of the majority of Ghanaians, and not just a leader of a political party , ” he said.
Initiatives Mr Kyerematen said Ghana would definitely rise again under his Great Transformational Agenda ( GTA ), which would involve the judicious and rapid utilisation of available resources in the country to create wealth for the nation.
For instance , he said , adding value to extract from the petro-chemical and bauxite sectors, and improving the pharmaceutical and automobile industries would rapidly transform the fortunes of the country and create substantial job for Ghanaians.
He touched on the President ’ s Special Initiatives ( PSIs ) on cassava, starch, oil palm, garments and textiles, and industrial salt during the President Kufuor era, which he said were his brain child, and pledged greater commitment of resources to those initiatives to rake in immense fortunes for the nation.
Mr Kyerematen said he introduced those PSIs when Ghana was pursuing the Heavily Indebted Poor Country ( HIPC ) initiative, and that bore ample testimony to his status as a man of great vision for his country.
On the continental front, he said he was instrumental in bringing the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area ( AfCTA ) to Ghana, in a clear display of patriotism and support for continental harmony.
Shedding light on the state of the economy, he conceded that the national budget was in crisis, adding that the IMF support which the government was seeking was to correct the frailties in the economy and bring the economy back to pre-COVID levels.
Further , he said his GTA was also to ensure that Ghana did not go to the IMF again after the economy was restored.
Earlier, Mr Kyerematen toured the Ho Central Market where he received a rousing welcome from traders.
“We have embraced you wholeheartedly , ” the Market Queen, Rejoice Novixoxo told the aspiring flag bearer, amid loud cheers from the traders.
Mr Kyerematen also held a closed-door meeting with local clergymen as part of his visit to the Volta Regional capital.
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