According to him, there is a need for the new leaders to have patience and ensure the party consults the minority caucus in parliament.
Muntaka also dismissed claims by Cassiel Ato Forson suggesting that a fruitful conversation with the former Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, and the newly appointed Minority Leader was not fruitful.
“I can tell you that the meeting was not fruitful. He mentioned some measures that they had to take, but that was not done. I can tell you that he was irritated at the meeting,” Muntaka said during a press conference on Thursday.
Addressing the media on Thursday, January 26, 2023, at the behest of the NDC parliamentarians, MP for Zebilla East and former Majority Leader, Cletus Apul Avoka, stressed that only a decision reached after broad deliberations will be accepted.
“The basis for our prayer is that the party suspends the reshuffling as indicated by the General Secretary until such a time that a holistic meeting of stakeholders with consultations before a decision is taken.”
“It is on this backdrop that the national executives of the party a few weeks ago decided that all appointees in the party and parliament should remain in office after we conclude the parliamentary and presidential primaries. We are therefore surprised that the reshuffling is reaching the caucus in Parliament. We think that this is premature.”
Muntaka, the MP for Asawase, and senior MPs of the NDC, including Dominic Ayine (MP for Bolgatanga East) and Cletus Avoka (MP for Zebilla), petitioned the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) on the selection of the new executives.
The change in the leadership of the minority caucus of Parliament has led to some confusion in the NDC, with some members of the party, including some Members of Parliament, saying that the party’s parliamentarians should have been consulted before the move.
The NDC leadership has appointed the former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, as the minority leader in the 8th Parliament of Ghana’s Fourth Republic. He replaced the MP for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu.
According to the NDC, Kofi Armah Buah, MP for Ellembele, will take over as the Deputy Minority Leader.
While Kwame Governs Agbodza, MP for Adaklu, he will replace Asawase MP Muntaka Mohammed as the Chief Whip.
Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the First Deputy Minority Whip, while Comfort Doyo Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is the Second Deputy Minority Whip.
This was contained in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, from the National Democratic Congress, dated January 23, 2023.
NYA/BOG
Former Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak