News:
March 24, 2025
As part of the healing process within the New Patriotic Party after their heavy defeat in the December 7, 2024, presidential and parliamentary elections, Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, Davis Opoku Ansah is of the opinion that card bearing members should be allowed to vent their displeasure; but urged that it should be done cautiously.
According to him, it is the reason the reason the Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye’s Committee was set up by the party.
In an interview with Ghanamps.com he pointed out that one or two members would not be happy with the entire process, and might want to vent their anger on radio, despite the approved platform created by the party, “however, one needs to be mindful of the terrain”, he cautioned.
He asserts that a lot of people might not have the opportunity of meeting the Prof Oquaye Committee, but it does not also mean that people should break boundaries and just talk anyhow.
In the specific case of the former Dome/Kwabenya lawmaker, he explained that she had gone through a lot including being wrongly accused of being the person who voted against Professor Oquaye in his bid to become Speaker of the 8th Parliament. “There was a lot of hullaballoo surrounding her name”.
Mr Ansah noted that drawing closer to her one would realize the truth, “I went on radio personally attacking her”.
He recalled that looking at where the NPP party was with 137 on both sides and an independent MP who caucused with them to have the majority, “we had to make some sacrifices. I had a surgery in 2024; sometimes you do a surgery today, the next day you are asked to come down to Ghana. Those are the sacrifices we went through. I know of a colleague who gave birth in the US three days, she had to leave the baby in the US come down to Ghana to participate in parliamentary work”.
Within the week the former Dome/Kwabenya MP Sarah Adwoa Safo was the focus of discussion as she hopped from one media station to the other trying to set the record straight on some of the accusations leveled against her in the 8th parliament. Her action caught the attention of the leadership of the party and was immediately referred to the party’s disciplinary committee.
The Mpraeso MP further noted that they did not know the full story of Adwoa Safo, adding that if she had opened up to any colleague, the person could have even spoken to the other side. “This is a colleague who is going through a lot; it would have saved us from those acrimonies we witnessed in the eighth parliament; that is my position”.
He furthermore added that the attacks the former Dome/Kwabenya MP received affected her in her parliamentary primaries; “if her constituents knew that she was genuinely going through a problem, people would not have judged her wrongly”.
“For such a person she has a lot of pain in her, once she starts venting them, if you are a leader approach her, be compassionate about it, listen to her side of the story and try and find remedy to whatever she is saying and that is the approach”.
He advised the party to take a second look at the decision to drag her to the disciplinary committee as it would not help.
As to whether his party would listen to him as he twitted on X, he said, “I think they have, I am told today leadership went to her house, they engaged her, she said her side of her story and I appreciate the leadership because it shows that when their members talk they listen; for me that is the way to go”.
He disclosed that just last week, former MPs who also pointed accusing fingers at the presidency for their defeat met with the Professor Oquaye Committee and put their issues across particularly on why the party lost.
“They came to my constituency and people spoke about why the depreciation in our votes. It is something I am working towards to help the party win massively in the next election.
So, people are being given the opportunity to speak. I am praying all party members would exercise restraints; we are all hurt, if I say I am going to say my story today I am not sure people would be able to listen to me”.
“It’s our party, let us allow the party to go through the process; with the Professor Oquaye Committee work, I am sure their committee report would bring reforms and get the party set for 2028 election victory”.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com