Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ernest Owusu-Bempah has said the failure of the censure motion filed by the Minority to remove the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta from office is an indication that the main opposition party is already losing the 2024 general elections.
In his view, Ghanaians are seeing through the propaganda of the NDC.
Addressing the press in Accra on Friday December 9, Mr Owusu-Bempah said the government acknowledges the economic challenges Ghanaians are going through. To that end, he further said, steps have been taken to resolve theses challenges.
“The defeat of the censure motion in Parliament by the Minority is a signal of the defeat in 2024 by the NDC,” he said.
He added “They will do all they can to run down this government, they will do anything within their power to convince Ghanaians with their vile propaganda but the people of Ghana will reject them in 2024 elections.
“This is a sign written on the wall, telling the entire nation. Right now the Cedi is doing well against the Dollar, petrol prices are coming down at the pump, economic conditions are moving on despite all the global hardships and everything going on. It means that the Akufo-Addo government is working.
“We are a listening government, we believe in the people of Ghana who gave us the mandate and we are going to work. Come 2024 Insah Allah, we will break the 8.”
The motion of censure filed by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, and seconded by the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed, seeking the removal of the Minister of Finance was lost.
This was as a result of failure of the motion to obtain the constitutional two-thirds of membership of the House.
After the secret balloting, done in the absence of the Majority Members (MPs), who staged a walkout to have nothing to do with the motion, 136 NDC MPs voted while there were no abstentions nor ‘No’ votes.
“The vote is accordingly lost,” Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin stated.
The Speaker had referred the motion to an eight-member ad hoc committee to consider and, more importantly, give the Finance Minister the opportunity to be heard.
Before the secret ballot, Speaker Bagbin justified his decision to refer the motion to the committee.
“The public hearing has vindicated my decision. The referral of the motion is proper and in accordance with the law. The House may now proceed to debate the motion.”
After the debate from both sides of the House, Speaker Bagbin called for secret voting in accordance with Article 82 of the 1992 Constitution.
That was when the Majority MPs staged their walkout and this comes despite a consensus that Mr Ofori-Atta should not continue his role as Minister due to the aches with the economy.
Minority Leader Iddrisu thanked the Speaker for his tenacity in ordering the vote of censure and said for the purposes of records and posterity, he will be deemed as contributing to a key democratic exercise.