The 80 MPs who have demanded the replacement of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta have slammed the Minority in Parliament for the Censure Motion against the minister and repeated their call for his resignation.

According to a source in the group, the ongoing censure motion by the Minority was not the path to go as the case against the Finance Minister is not one that borders on criminality or unconstitutional dealings.

“Right from the onset we were against the Censure Motion by the NDC and cautioned the Minority in Parliament against going on that path since the challenges our economy is facing require a very dispassionate assessment devoid of blind partisanship. This is a period for us to justify the confidence reposed in us by our constituents and treat issues in a very serious and selfless manner,” the source stated.

The source said attempts by the Minority to introduce a Censure Motion at a time the Group had already called on the President to change the Finance Minister was an act made in bad faith adding that the censure motion by the Minority was clearly intended to muddy the waters and take credit for the selflessness demonstrated by the Group of 80 MPs to call for the replacement of one of their own to save the Ghanaian economy.

“Indeed, the Minority is reeling from the guilt of having failed to make such a move and stimulate such discussions during their time in power when there were harsh economic circumstances with many calling for the replacement of the Finance Minister then, Seth Terkper. They obviously see this act of selflessness by the Group of 80 as a threat and therefore, wish to take undue credit and score cheap political points,” the source added.

The source explained that their call for the replacement of the Finance Minister was a difficult and painful one, but had to be selflessly made to help restore hope to the economy and calm the nerves of millions of Ghanaian suffering the brunt of harsh economic realities.

“We have made this call with a lot of difficulty and pain because we have had to look within our ranks as we seek to face the crisis head-on with the urgency it requires. We have refused to lay blame at the door of others even though we could have, because of the poor economic legacy the Mahama Administration had left behind,” the source stated.

The source said the Group would still boycott the presentation of the budget if the finance minister is not replaced.