Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu accuses Bagbin of frustrating budget
Bagbin hits back at Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Johnson Asiedu Nketia, a Member of the Parliamentary Service Board, has made more revelations about behind-the-scenes discussions that happened on the night of the election for Speaker of the 8th Parliament of Ghana.
The 8th Parliament saw the first of its three chaotic scenes as Members of Parliament clashed repeatedly on night.
The height of the melee saw the Member of Parliament for Tema East, Carlos Ahenkorah, steal and chew ballot papers after it became apparent that the NPP’s nominee which was Professor Mike Oquaye was going to lose to the NDC’s Alban Bagbin.
The leadership of the house and political party leaders who were present in Parliament met to discuss the way forward.
Asiedu Nketia has opened up on discussions on the night after Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu disclosed the content of a pre-budget presentation meeting the Parliamentary Service Board had.
According to him, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has lost the trust of the NDC side of the house after he peddled falsehood during and after those meetings.
He cited, for example, that during the meeting, it was decided that Bagbin will be credited as the winner of the elections only for the Majority Leader to come out and say something completely different to what was agreed on.
“When Carlos Ahenkorah stole the ballot papers during the voting of the speaker, videos captured him ordering Ahenkorah to go and steal it. When leadership met, he suggested that we declare the election null and void and conduct a new one. We rejected it and asked the clerk to declare the polls.
“He begged us to give the First Deputy Speaker post to them because they are in government and that they will need him to chair the Appointments Committee. They begged us and I warned that I don’t trust the NPP because they will come out and say something different but the others agreed so we moved on. They pleaded that dignitaries had arrived for the swearing in of the president so we had to make concessions.
“They also begged us to give them the second Deputy Speaker and we opted to give it to the Independent candidate.
“They (NPP) asked that both Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and Haruna Iddrisu read a statement which states that Mike Oquaye pulled out of the elections and that Bagbin was offered the position. I resisted and told them, it will be disgraceful. Kyei-Mensah made the proposition, asking us to lie but I said No. I asked the Clerk to go the house and declare the result and he did that.
“After the swearing-in of the president, first thing Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said is that Bagbin was not elected and that they agreed to offer him the position,” he said on Okay FM.
Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu