Former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak, has urged Haruna Iddrisu, the former Minority Leader, and the Minority caucus to prioritise holding the Electoral Commission (EC) accountable ahead of the December polls, rather than focusing on less pressing issues.
Mubarak’s remarks follow Haruna Iddrisu’s motion seeking a declaration of the seats of four MPs, who are running as independent candidates, as vacant.
In a strongly worded article released on Tuesday, Mubarak criticised the motion, calling it a distraction from more urgent matters.
He argued that the primary focus should be on ensuring the EC conducts a free and fair election, especially in light of past controversies surrounding the commission.
Mubarak emphasised the importance of addressing the EC’s “intransigent” behaviour and ensuring transparency in the electoral process.
He contended that the attention on independent MPs diverts from the larger and more crucial issue of electoral integrity and governance.
“Under the watch of the former Minority Leader, the NDC had a chance to cause of the removal of some MPs who’d violated the constitution, and cause a by-election. This was in 2022 when the following MPs – Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, Hon. Henry Quartey and Hon. Kojo Kum, absented themselves from Parliament without leave of the Speaker.
“Never once during this egregious violation of the constitution did we hear the mover of today’s motion talk about defending the constitution. It took my petition to Parliament, which the Minority even attempted to shoot down, for the matter to be heard and brought before the Privileges Committee.”
“At a time when it mattered most, the former Minority Leader abandoned his duty to defend and uphold the constitution. And alas, the issue has been conveniently swept under the rug. We in the NDC are hungry for political power. We are going into a very difficult election, where the referee (EC) is clearly biased against us. The sooner we kept our eyes on the most important things, the better for us.”
“We can’t afford to take our eyes off the ball. Parliament is clothed with all the powers to put the Electoral Commissioner in check. And I hope we make that a priority than this injury time gymnastics that are a waste of everyone’s time.
“The life of this parliament is less than three months from coming to an end. There’s little or no political capital from removing the MPs going Independent,” he stated.
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