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Member of Parliament for Assin Central Ken Ohene Agyapong has set the records straight that he did not run away from the chamber when the House had its emergency recall on Thursday, November 7, 2024, as journalists seek to ask.

According to him they were in a caucus meeting, and he was asked to engage the Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Bagbin as they got wind that the NDC group was occupying seats to the right of the Speaker which usually belongs to the Majority.

“When I entered the chamber there was proceedings ongoing so it’s not deliberate that the NPP refused, we had to engage the Speaker, I am not in leadership they respect my opinion and I know Speaker as friend before I even entered Parliament. He was my company lawyer, and I give him that respect and sometimes I go to him to share ideas.

So I was asked to this time around to engage the speaker since he is my man. Unfortunately our caucus meeting took so long and there was no TV for us to monitor what was going on, “so young man I was not running away, we were coming to consult the Speaker and the Minority before we go in there unfortunately when we got there he was sitting, we had to walk away”.

“Now, the question is, where NDC was sitting, where did you want me to go and seat. Do you want me to go and pull my chair from my colleague from the other side? No, we do not want the chaos that happened at the beginning of the lifespan of this parliament to happen, so peacefully I walked out with the deputy Majority leader and the two whips”.

Mr Agyapong who said his major concern is the preservation of the peace of the country said, “we have nowhere to go, only Ghana, so we should be mindful of whatever we are going to say. This politics where journalists have taken an entrenched position and politicians, it will not help us. I am begging you, what happened today, we were not boycotting, we wanted an understanding and the meeting took too long”, he affirmed.

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Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency has downplayed the chances of the National Democratic Congress in the 2024 elections, declaring the constituency as a “world bank” and “secured” area for the New Patriotic Party.

Addressing a teeming crowd of NPP supporters at a rally in the constituency on Thursday, November 7, 2024, Hon. Jinapor said the constituency has witnessed unprecedented transformation and development under the Akufo-Addo government and that it has now become one of the NPP strongholds.

He touted that the NPP through its various infrastructure projects has banished the NDC from the constituency and that it will dominate parliamentary and political elections in the area eternally.

He expressed utter conviction and confidence that the NPP will not only overcome the NDC in the Damongo constituency but win the 2024 elections resounding.

“I want to assure our incoming Vice President, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh that Damongo constituency is secured. It is secured for the NPP in 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036 and will continue to be a stronghold of the NPP. We are building a party to become a stronghold in the constituency,” he said amid applause from hundreds of supporters.

In his official introduction of Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh to the crowd as the Vice Presidential candidate of the NPP, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor extolled his achievements and virtues as hardworking, humble and dedicated Ghanaian who cares about the country and its people.

He outlined some of the major accomplishments of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, which includes the successful implementation of the Free SHS program, his tackling of dumsor, amongst others.

Taking his turn on the podium, Dr. Opoku Prempeh emphasized the spiritual and historical significance of the Damongo constituency to the NPP and Ghana’s elections.

He stated that a victory for the NPP in the Damongo will ultimately confirm the NPP as winners of the polls.

Aiming salvos at the John Mahama and NDC, NAPO stated that the area witnessed more progress under the Akufo-Addo Bawumia administration than Mahama who hails from the area.

The Savannah Region Minister, Hon. Saeed Muhazu Jibral listed some developmental projects executed by the government in the area and charged the constituents to reward the NPP with a resounding victory.

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Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kenndy Ohene Agyapong has bemoaned the turn of event on Thursday, 7 November 2024, when the emergency recall of the House could not achieve success, with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) group in Parliament occupying the Majority side of the House.

“Assuming the NDC wins the 2024 elections with their current posture; will they get two thirds of Members of Parliament to take decisions? He questioned.

Again, if the NDC are saying the former Speaker Rt. Hon Oquaye set a bad example and you are using that to take a position, “so what happens if you win election and you do not get two thirds, do you expect the NPP to cooperate with you to rule the country? That’s my fear for Ghana. Whatever is going on, if we do not put an end to these political issues, we will see worse things in Parliament come 2025?”

According to him, his major concern is the people of Ghana and the peace of the country. “How many weeks do we have left for the country to go through what it’s going through? Do not think it is only the NPP going through this but it is the nation Ghana”.

Next month is going to be Christmas, workers are not going to have their salaries and parliament has to approve budget. “I decided not to talk but what I saw at the conference centre when I was coming, I am pleading with the media to be very objective, taking entrenched position to support a political party will not help this country”.

“I do not care of whoever wins, so long as we have a peaceful country that you can breathe, I have been to war-torn countries and I know the suffering people are going through; that is why I do not preach for war”.

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The Municipal Chief Executive of Ketu South, Maxwell Koffie Lugudor has underscored the importance of taking up climate change issues seriously as gradually, all over the world everyone is experiencing it.

According to him, he sometimes questions if people really believe and understand the issues of climate change, adding that back in his home country Ghana, he noticed that professors sometimes might not take the issues of climate change serious until they see the effect.

He made this known in his remarks on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, at a panel discussion of Mayors at an Indian set up pavilion in Cario, Egypt, at the ongoing 12th Session of UN-habitat World Urban Forum.

He further recounted that nowadays in his municipality; Ketu South in the Southern Part of Ghana in West Africa, salt production is being affected by climate change.

“We have two seasons, the dry season and the wet season. Previously you can easily predict and know the time it will be raining, but these days you cannot even predict, you wake up and there is flooding all over; people are now feeling the effect of climate change”.

The MCE further called for efforts in addressing the issue of climate change and he recounted taking a team from his Municipality to Germany. “And one will ask why should we go to Germany before solving climate change problem?” “We are in a global village; you might think I do not care about what is going on in another country, until the reality sets in”.

And I always give this example, I have never been to China before but when there was COVID -19 pandemic, I was ask in my village to cover my nose, but where it started from was in China.

In his contribution at the panel discussion, he revealed that as part of his trip to Germany, they have started to fight plastic waste, stating that a number of practices that endangers the environment like dropping sachet water wastes on the floor, excessive use of plastics among others are being curtailed.

With the partnership with our colleagues in Germany, I took a delegation there to study waste segregation into plastic, metals, glass among others for recycling purposes; and we have started a serious project in Ketu South it is helping people get in come.

“There are small companies ready to buy those plastic bags, so education is ongoing now, people now know that what we are calling waste is not a waste, we can make money out of it and we are spreading it across the municipality even across Togo. We can make things happen when we start something”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com/Cairo Egypt

The Parliament of Ghana has suffered another indefinite adjournment having been recalled from similar situation under an emergency recall at the behest of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Group in parliament.

As at the commencement of sitting on 7th November, 2024, the House was without the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority.

The NDC group as per their earlier stand rightfully assumed the Majority group ready for the day’s business.

The Speaker said it was unfortunate that the signatories to the request for the recall were absent from the House, “therefore matters that they wanted us to handle which were admitted for the consideration of the business committee are not on the Order Paper”.

And like the previous instance, “the House had quorum to sit, but we have no business before us to transact because the Business Committee as you know they prepare a report, and this report is adopted by the House as business agreed by the House to transact during the course of the week”.

In the absence of that, he said there is no other authority that can put business before you which you have not adopted to transact.

“In view of the failure of the business committee to sit, as a result of those who requested for the recall to show up, we are compelled to once again adjourn the sitting of the House.

Knowing the challenges we are facing, it is not advisable to be adjourning from day to day, and so I will proceed once more to adjourn the meeting indefinitely and the meeting, this extra ordinary meeting is accordingly adjourned.”

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Member of Parliament for Boadi Sampson, Ahi said the National Democratic Congress (NDC), now Majority in Parliament will not use their position to burden Ghanaians or stifle government business.

According to him, if they had wanted to sabotage the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) then Majority and now Minority, they would have done that at the inception of the eighth Parliament which lifespan has not ended yet.

Again, we are in Parliament to support Ghanaians that is why most of the time, we compromise and ensure that government business goes through. It is not today that God has given us the opportunity to become Majority that we will use it against government, he said in an interview.

Mr Ahi speaking just after the NDC in parliament addressed the media to assure the public of their readiness to abide by the Speaker’s recall of the House on Thursday, November 7, 2024 asserts that. If they (NPP) bring businesses that will support Ghanaians, “we are ready to support them; we are not going to use our Majority to further burden Ghanaians that is what we are saying”.

“If we had any diabolic mind against the government, nothing could have stopped us but we cooperated with them all through this parliament”.

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The NDC group in parliament urges their counterparts, the NPP group to prioritize businesses that are in the interest of Ghanaians.

And by so doing, they would find favour and cooperation with the NDC group in time to deal with those businesses.

Speaking at the press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, shortly after the Speaker addressed the media on the consequences of litigation on proceedings of Parliament, Governs Agbodza, the Majority Chief Whip served notice that they are ready to obey the directive of the Speaker on the recall and shall attend upon the House at the appropriate time as directed by the Speaker.

He asserts that the NDC shall take their rightful place as the Majority and wait for whatever businesses that may be before them.

We can assure them that as long as the business is in the interest of improving the lots of Ghanaians, they can count on the Majority NDC Caucus in parliament to support those initiatives to pass”.

Parliament reconvenes tomorrow November 7, 2024 at the behest of the NPP group in parliament after the Speaker adjourned the House indefinitely.

Mr Agbodza said it is not true that the NDC group is trying to sabotage government businesses as the evidence on the ground speaks otherwise. According to him not only does the NDC group support government businesses, but they always exhibit more commitments to such activities on the floor by the share number of MPs from their side that are present at all times for business.

He however, served notice that, “what we would not tolerate is any Bill that is intended to deepen the hardship of the people of this country. I think the constitution and the people of this country do not expect that we should actually support any Bill that would even make life more difficult  for them”.

Ghanamps.com

Rt. Hon. Speaker Alban Kingsford Sumana  Bagbin has corrected the misconception in the minds of people to the effect that there is a constitutional crisis in Ghana.

“There is no Constitutional crisis.I repeat, there is no constitutional crisis. The Parliament of Ghana is alive and working. Let nobody mislead, misinform, or disinform , you and the country “

According to him, it is the democratic system we adopted and enacted , as captured in the Constitution, 1992, and fleshed out in various laws, processes, procedures and practices, that has been triggered and it is working. “Let us allow it to work”, he stated.

“Democracy is about the rule of law. Let the law work. The democratic system we adopted and enacted recognizes, in the course of operationalizing the system, disagreements will occur, and challenges and problems will arise. The system has put in place mechanisms, structures and institutions, processes, procedures and rules to follow and apply to resolve the disagreement, convert the challenges into opportunities and provide solutions to the problems.this is what is being pursued and applied. There is no constitutional crisis in the country”.

He affirmed that parliament is alive and working. “It has not been dissolved, prorogued, prohibited, suspended or terminated. The plenary sitting and meetings of Parliament were only adjourned indefinitely due to lack of quorum to take decisions created by a walk out staged by the NPP Members who were available, as a result of a disagreement, he added.

Ghanamps.com

Hon. Abena Osei Asare becomes First Female Minister of State at Ghana’s Finance Ministry

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Bagbin pursuant to Article 112 (3) of the 1992 Constitution and the Standing Orders 5 and 53 of Parliament of Ghana has summoned parliament to sit on 7th November, 2024.

Parliament which until the indefinite adjournment by the Speaker was sitting at the Dome of the Accra International Conference Centre will converge at the same venue at 10:00AM.

It is worth of note that the Speaker, earlier in the week assured a five-member delegation of Council of State led by the Chairman, Nana Otuo Siribuor, of his preparedness to recall the House when they called on him to learn at first hand, happenings in the legislature in recent times, resulting in the adjournment of the House indefinitely.

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