Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Murtala Mohammed confronted the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin over the number of MPs present when the business of the House commenced.

At the start of the session at 5pm on Thursday, there were only seven Majority MPs and thirty Minority MPs present.

During the session, Afenyo-Markin raised concern about a comment from the Ranking Member for Education, Peter Kwasi Nortsu-Kotoe, suggesting that the Minority would oppose the Free SHS Bill in Parliament.

He said since the Ranking member was present, he should either clarify or confirm his statement.

However, Peter Kwasi Nortsu-Kotoe did not stand to address the matter; rather, other minority members responded to the majority leader.

A furious Murtala Mohammed during his turn said “The challenges confronting us would not have happened, and I can quote what you have said, 'that the NDC is to scrap the Free SHS'. My point has to do with the unseriousness on the team he leads. There are only seven Majority MPs present; yesterday they were just five. Now you think that it is important for us to discuss this matter.

"You are a leader of government business; what should be of concern to you is to ensure your members are in the House. I came here at 8 am, your members are still not here at 5:50 pm. They are following your presidential candidate, dancing Azonto, and saying, 'Give me the steer'," he said.

Following the heated debate, the Minority Chief Whip clarified their position on the Free SHS Bill.

He said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament, led by Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson have refuted claims that they were against the proposed bill.

“There is currently no such bill before Parliament. We cannot oppose a bill that we have not seen,” he said.

Dr. Forson stated in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency. “For the record, it was the NDC that birthed the 1992 Constitution, which provided the legal framework for the introduction of Free Secondary Education in Ghana.”

Dr. Forson further explained that the NDC commenced the implementation of the Free SHS program in 2015 for all day students in public senior high schools, totalling over 320,000, with a clear plan to expand coverage to include 120,000 boarding students by 2017.

NAY/GA