Former Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin has laid out a strategy for the New Patriotic Party to address their loss of parliamentary majority.
In a press conference earlier today, Afenyo Markin strongly disagreed with the Speaker’s decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant.
He accused the Speaker and the NDC of deliberately creating chaos in Parliament, obstructing government business, and preventing the passage of crucial legislation.
“They want to frustrate government business,” stated Mr. Markin. “We have judges, Supreme Court judges who have been vetted and are supposed to be approved to work for the nation. They don’t want that to happen.
“There are businessmen who have invested in our country because of our 1D1F policy. Their projects have to be approved. The NDC doesn’t want that, so they want chaos. The Finance Minister is supposed to present papers to Parliament regarding the budget before appropriation. This cannot happen, so they don’t believe in democracy.”
Mr. Afenyo Markin announced the NPP’s intention to challenge the Speaker’s decision in court.
“We believe in the court and we are going to pursue our matter in court until the court determines the matter. If the court decides that indeed, per the provisions of Article 97, if a person, upon being elected a member of parliament on a particular ticket and decides to contest future elections under another ticket, that person will lose that seat, so be it, we would abide by the rulings of the court,” he continued.
He further stated that the NPP would not participate in the chaos created by the Speaker in the chamber.
“We are aware that the injunction application has been overtaken by events,” he said. “We are lawyers, we know what to do, and we will use the legal process to ensure that the right things are done.”
Mr. Afenyo Markin called on Ghanaians to condemn the actions of the Speaker and the NDC members in Parliament. He also urged NPP supporters to ensure the party wins an absolute majority in the upcoming elections.
“I urge all of you to learn from the chaos in Parliament,” he said. “We don’t want to see a situation where the NPP wins the presidency but loses the majority in Parliament.”
“…These are useful lessons to learn. I urge on all of you that looking at the chaos in Parliament, we don’t want skirt and blouse,”
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Source: Benjamin Ekow Hutchful/ATLFMNEWS
