‘Once you win a fight prepare to lose one’ – Speaker consoles defeated MPs
Speaker of Parliament has consoled NPP MPs defeated in the recent parliamentary primaries, urging them losses are part of a politician’s career.
‘You cannot always win and you will not lose forever,’ Prof. Mike Oquaye said as parliament resumed sitting Tuesday.
But there was a low turn-out as some of the MPs targeted in the Speaker’s message were not in the house.
The level of absenteeism recorded Tuesday is set to raise concerns that legislative work in the chamber is set to suffer as the general elections in December beckons.
Professor Oquaye could only appeal to the MPs who lost to be committed and be punctual until the end of the Seventh Parliament under the Fourth Republic in January 2020.
“Once you win a fight, be prepared to lose one,” he told the legislators in the chamber.
He congratulated the MPs who won in their various constituencies and wished the losers well in future endeavours.
Professor Oquaye has found himself consoling his son Mike Oquaye Jnr who once again lost a bid to unseat the deputy Majority leader in parliament, Adwoa Safo.
The MP for Dome Kwabenya is also Minister of State in charge of Public Procurement.
The Speaker once held the seat in xxxxx and went on to become Ghana’s High Commissioner to India.
But efforts by his son to replace his father has been frustrated by Adwoa Safo twice. First in 2012 and now in 2020.
This time eight votes separated the two with Adwoa Safo obtaining 496 votes as against Oquaye’s 488.
Before the contest, the two went at each other in verbal exchange, drawing the ire of President Akufo-Addo.
Mr Akufo-Addo warned them to cease fire or risk losing an appointment in his future government.
Over 40 of the incumbent MPs from the Majority side will exit parliament, including prominent chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of various committees.
The level of attrition has triggered a debate in Ghana.