Member of Parliament for Juaboso, Kwabena Minta Akandoh, has stated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is running away from delivering his Message on the State of the Nation (SONA) to Parliament because he has no good news for Ghanaians.
The President was scheduled to present the state of the nation address to Parliament on Thursday 3rd March, 2022 but the presentation has since been postponed indefinitely.
Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution provides that the President shall, at the beginning of each session of Parliament and before dissolution of Parliament deliver to Parliament a message of the state of the nation.
It is the first time in the 4th Republic that a President has failed to deliver the SONA as scheduled and the Juabaso MP is calling out the administration for this failure.
He raised this concern on Friday, March 4, 2022 during presentation of the Business Statement by Deputy Majority leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin when he failed to inform the House when the President will deliver the 2022 SONA.
Mr. Akandoh argued it is now seven weeks and Parliament is preparing to go on recess and yet members do not even know when the President would fulfil this constitutional requirement and address Ghanaians on the state of the nation.
“Mr. Speaker I want to draw your attention to Article 67 of the Constitution; it says the President shall address the House at the beginning; It says at the beginning…”
“As I speak to you we don’t even know when the President is coming to address the House.”
“The leader tells us that we are preparing our House; it means he should be able to tell us when the President will be on this floor because that has never happened before except that he has no good news for the nation,” he stated.
Hon. Akandoh argued if President Akufo-Addo has good news to tell the Ghanaian people he will be anxious and indeed running to address Parliament.
He charged the Deputy Majority leader who presented the Business Statement for the ensuing week to be bold enough and tell the House when the President will be on the floor.
Source: Mypublisher24.com