Joe Osei Owusu
Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs yesterday displayed unruly behaviour in Parliament when they attempted to manhandle the First Deputy Speaker, Joe Osei-Wusu, who presided in the absence of the Speaker, Alban Bagbin.
His crime was that he had dismissed their request by the NDC Minority Caucus to have a rescission of the passage of Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government for the year ending 31st December 2022.
The approval on Tuesday by the Majority NPP, subsequently nullified the purported rejection of the same budget by opposition NDC MPs last Friday as supervised by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, who is a card-bearing member of that political grouping.
The nasty scenes they enacted in the House yesterday were similar to what happened on the night of January 7 when a new Speaker as well as the new Parliament was being sworn in.
Matters came to a head when the Speaker overruled the NDC’s attempt to get the House to rescind its decision in approving the 2022 budget on Tuesday.
Following the First Deputy Speaker’s decision, there was a total breakdown of law and order as members of the Minority protested.
Officers of the parliamentary security led by the Marshal rushed to break up an unprovoked attack on the First Deputy Speaker by some of the NDC MPs, seconds after ruling against the Minority on an application for a recession of the 2022 budget approval.
Dozens of the NDC MPs were seen pushing and shoving the parliamentary security officers in an attempt to get hold of the First Deputy Speaker.
Footages showed Ernest Henry Norgbey (Ashaiman), Sam Nettey George (Ningo-Prampram), Murtala Muhammed Ibrahim (Tamale Central) , Yusif Issaka Jajah (Ayawaso North), Emmanuel Abambire Bawa (Bongo), and Bashir A. Fusieni Alhassan (Sagnarigu) leading the onslaught on the First Deputy Speaker.
They later succeeded in throwing on the floor the Speaker’s Chair after Mr. Osei-Wusu had been ushered out of the chamber.
Near Scuffle
The highly charged unruly NDC MPs then proceeded to face their colleagues on the Majority side but the parliamentary security officers formed a line to prevent any attacks.
The irate MPs then shoved the security guards in another attempt to attack the mace, which is the symbol of Parliament’s authority entrusted to the Speaker, while visitors at the gallery looked on in disbelief.
Spurious Claim
Before the violence, the NDC’s spurious claims that the Majority NPP brought an imposter in place of Sarah Adwoa Safo, MP for Dome Kwabenya, to enable them to get the numbers to pass the 2020 budget on Tuesday, crumbled.
Since yesterday, the NDC has been circulating pictures of some personalities, claiming that could not be the Dome Kwabenya MP who was in the chamber during the voting, and created the impression that the Majority cooked the numbers to get the budget approved.
Initially they claimed it was Deputy MASLOC CEO, Afia Akoto, who was brought to the chamber as ‘Adwoa Safo’ and when the NDC was exposed, the narrative changed to a lady they named as Becky Sarfo.
Ablakwa Propaganda
It was Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, NDC MP for North Tongu in the Volta Region, who started the propaganda when he told Joy FM ahead of yesterday’s sitting that the NDC MPs were investigating a case of impersonation of the Dome Kwabenya MP on Tuesday.
He said emphatically that the NDC Minority suspected a lady the Majority NPP claimed was the Dome Kwabenya MP.
“Following pictures and videos we are reviewing this morning, it is becoming quite apparent to us that there may be a case of impersonation with regards to the lady who was presented as Adwoa Safo. It is beginning to appear that she may not be Adwo Safo,” Okudzeto Ablakwa said.
Calling For Rescission
On the floor of the House yesterday, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu called for a rescission of the passage of the budget by the Majority on Tuesday.
He then added the so-called Adwoa Safo impersonation in an attempt to equalise the unconstitutional action they took last Friday when claiming they rejected the 2022 budget.
They were however, heavily bruised after the Dome Kwabenya MP whom they claimed had been impersonated, entered the chamber suddenly and took her seat.
Shame! Shame!
Immediately she entered, there was a spontaneous Shame! Shame! shouts from the Majority side on their Minority counterparts.
Adwoa Safo in the process was given the chance to speak on the floor and she refuted the spurious claims that she was not present when the budget was being approved.
“Mr. Speaker, I also want to state on record because this a House of records and as a former Deputy Majority Leader of this House, I was present in this House yesterday, and to state categorically that I cannot force Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa, who is my friend on the other side, to dress the way I want him to dress, and that is an insult on womanhood and so those making that noise should withdraw it,” she said.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House