The Majority Caucus in Parliament has stated that they will not partake in the vote of censure against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
The MPs had earlier called for the removal of Mr Ofori-Atta and the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen, for overseeing the nation’s ailing economy.
Addressing a press conference, Member of Parliament for Effiduase/Asokore, Nana Ayew Afriyie, said the Minority’s motive for removing Ofori-Atta is ill-intended and ultimately differs from their demands.
“Their position is full of falsehoods, propaganda and reasons that are not justifiable,” he said.
He added, “We are not going to support the cause of NDC in the chamber.”
However, they insisted they still stand by their demand for the president to remove the Finance Minister to restore investor confidence in the country’s economy.
“We are going to be positively defiant on that posture until that action is taken.”
The Minority is set to move the motion for the vote of censure against the Finance Minister on the floor of Parliament today, November 10, 2022.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) had earlier asked the Majority Caucus to abstain from the vote of censure.
In a press statement dated November 9, 2022, the General Secretary of the party, Justin Frimpong Kodua, asked the Majority MPs, “especially the Whips are to ensure that no member of the Majority Caucus partakes in this exercise by the Minority group in Parliament.”
The statement added: “While the national executive body acknowledges the prevailing socio-economic conditions in the country and the need for urgent remedial interventions, it is our utmost position that the demand of the NDC-led Minority Caucus is ill-intended and aimed at derailing government’s efforts at resolving current socio-economic upheavals.”
“The leadership acknowledges that the Minister for Finance is the leader of the government’s negotiation team with the International Monetary Fund. Considering that negotiation with the IMF is nearly completed, the National Executive body of the Party strongly believes that the removal of the lead person spearheading the negotiation may adversely impact the progress made thus far.”
“It is worth noting that when similar calls were made for the head of Mr Seth Tepker, the then Minister for Finance, during the socio-economic turbulence under the erstwhile Mahama administration in 2015, the NDC-led Majority Caucus objected to those calls and rose to the defence of Mr Tekper, a clear indication that the NDC lacks credibility on this matter.”