General News of Friday, 15 January 2021

Source: kasapafmonline.com

NPP will trigger by-election if NPP caucus is not declared majority – Nana Akomea

Director of State Transport Company (STC), Nana Akomea Director of State Transport Company (STC), Nana Akomea

A staunch member of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), now the Managing Director of State Transport Company (STC) Nana Akomea has hinted that the party would be compelled to trigger a by-election at Fomena Constituency should the Speaker of Parliament not declare NPP caucus majority.

Both the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) occupy 137 seats each in Parliament, with one independent Candidate – Andrews Amoako Asiamah -MP for Fomena Constituency who has officially written to the speaker of Parliament to do business with the NPP caucus.

The Fomena MP was a member of the NPP but was stripped of his membership after he defied the party to contest the 2020 Parliamentary election as an Independent Candidate.

Leader of the NDC caucus Haruna Iddrisu indicated at a press conference Thursday that, regardless of decision taken by the independent Candidate, NPP still does not have the majority in the House.

However, at a counter-press briefing same day, the leader of the NPP caucus Mr Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu explained that the matter of who constitutes a majority in the House should not be a subject of litigation by the two parties in Parliament. Rather a case of the side with the most numbers, therefore, the Fomena MP’s decision to sit with the NPP caucus makes them majority, however, expecting the Speaker to make a final determination on the matter Friday.

Speaking Friday on Good Morning Ghana show on Metro TV hosted by astute Journalist Randy Abbey, Nana Akomea who is also a Former NPP MP for Okaikwei South and a former Director of Communication for the NPP said, should the speaker rule against the NPP, the party will have no other option than to trigger a by-election by ensuring that the Fomena MP resigns as MP, formerly rejoins the NPP and re-contest in the by-election.

He believes this will bring finality to the confusion surrounding which party or parties form the majority in Parliament.