Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader and prominent member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has called out the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for failing to appear at a parliamentary session they (NPP caucus) requested for.
He urged Ghanaians to remove the “incompetent government” in the upcoming elections, claiming the NPP is “tired and fed up” of governing.
Dr. Forson condemned the NPP’s actions as an abuse of the parliamentary process, expressing frustration at the absence of the NPP caucus, who had called for a parliamentary recall but failed to attend the scheduled sitting.
In a statement, Dr. Forson voiced his concerns about the financial costs of these recurrent recalls, stating that this is not the first time the NPP has done this.
“Clearly, what we are seeing here is an abuse of the constitution and standing orders of parliament,” he said.
“The NPP minority caucus has indeed caused financial loss to the state and to us, the NDC Members of Parliament, and to Ghana.”
He added that the NPP’s repeated absences show “disrespect” and disregard for parliamentary duties, urging Ghanaians to “see the behavior of the NPP and punish them accordingly.”
Speaker Alban Bagbin announced an indefinite adjournment of parliamentary proceedings, citing the lack of attendance from the NPP members.
“We have a quorum to sit, but we have no business to transact,” Speaker Bagbin stated.
“In view of the failure of the business committee to sit, as the result of the refusal of those who requested the recall to show up, we are compelled to adjourn the sitting of this house indefinitely.”
This latest adjournment underscores the challenges the current parliament faces in proceeding with its legislative agenda amid ongoing tensions between the majority and minority caucuses.
NDC Chief Whip Governs Agbodza joined Dr. Forson’s criticism, highlighting the Supreme Court’s ruling that the NPP should be allowed to parliament, despite their absence.
“They are in their constituencies campaigning.
They are only disturbing and wasting the time of citizens,” Agbodza argued, pointing out that the NPP’s absence hampers productivity.
With the indefinite adjournment, it remains uncertain when Parliament will reconvene to address pressing issues, leaving the legislative agenda in a state of flux.
