Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency, has expressed surprise at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) decision to alter the party’s leadership in Parliament.
The decision was announced on Tuesday, January 24, with Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency, replacing Tamale South legislator Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah of Ellembelle replaces James Klutse Avedzi as Deputy Minority Leader.
Speaking on TV3’s News 360 on Tuesday, January 24, after the decision was announced, the Tamale Central MP stated that there was no consultation with the caucus prior to the release.
“Every single Member of Parliament is surprised,” he said, “And I can tell you that even those who have been proposed to take leadership, some of them are surprised that such a proposal is made without even consulting them.”
He condemned the mode of communication, saying as an MP he got wind of the decision on social media like many other NDC MPs.
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“That is not how things are done,” he fumed.
“The NDC is a democratic party. We have touted ourselves as the pacesetters of this democracy. The NDC gave birth to the 1992 Constitution for which reason we have all collectively agreed to chart the path of democracy.”
He, therefore, indicated that NDC should be the last to disregard democratic tenets and by making such a decision without consulting the group – or caucus – it affects, to him, smacks of disrespect.
The former Nanton MP said his experience of having been in the Sixth Parliament and even the Eighth Parliament tells him that there is active consultation between the party’s leadership and the caucus prior to such decisions.
“How do you choose leaders for a group without consulting that group?” he wondered.
“Who told you that the group will be comfortable with the people you have chosen? Now if the group were not comfortable with the people you have chosen, then that will be the beginning of a failure of that particular leadership.”
Meanwhile, National Chairman of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia said the decision was taken based on the current trend of debate on national issues.
“The debates and the other discussions will focus on the economy so you need to put your best man in the economy forward, that is what we have done,” he told Accra-based Joy FM.
“We also looked at energy. These petroleum and electricity challenges and so we needed to settle on Kofi-Armah Buah, our former Energy Minister to be the Deputy Minority Leader and then the other area is infrastructure, Kwame Agbodza being our man in infrastructure should play a key role. So that generally is what informed the changes.”
