According to him, he is a member of the National Executive Council of the party and did not take part in any meeting where the change in the party’s parliamentary leadership was discussed.
He posited that the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, and the party’s General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, were the ones who decided to change the leadership of the minority caucus.
The MP (Member of Parliament), who made these remarks in a Pan African TV interview monitored by GhanaWed, on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, added that the NDC is a democratic party and no individual can dictate to the party.
“One of the arguments they make is that NEC can make a decision without consulting parliament, yes that is true. FEC (Functional Executive Committee) can take a decision without consulting parliament, yes that is true.
“The question I ask them (is), was this decision taken by the FEC or NEC?... the 1st highest decision-making body of the party is Congress, the 2nd highest decision-making body of the party is NEC, I am a member of NEC, the 3rd highest decision-making body is FEC. So, any of these can take a decision for the party that is binding on everybody. Not individuals within these structures.
“… someone should produce minutes (of NEC's meeting) where the decision was taken to appoint a new leadership… I don’t think the National Chairman and General Secretary will be unhappy with us raising legitimate questions in my opinion about their actions,” he said.
Murtala also said that even though he supported and campaigned for Asiedu Nketiah and Fifi Kwetey to win their current positions, he does not support their decision to change the party’s parliamentary leadership.
He added that the reasons given by Asiedu Nketiah for the removal of the majority leader are not tangible.
The NDC National Chairman said in an interview with Joy News that the changes feed into the larger party reorganization plan that has seen the election of local level to national-level officers over the last year.
On the specific reason why the NDC picked Cassiel Ato Forson (Ajumako Enyan Essiam MP) to replace Haruna Iddrisu (Tamale South MP) as leader of the Minority Caucus, he responded:
“We know, for instance, that going into the election 2024, the economy is going to be the major battleground and so many of the debates and other discussions will focus on the economy.
“So, you better put your best man in the economy forward and that is what we’ve done,” he stressed stating that it was not for the party to consult before ringing the changes.”
Watch the interview below:
IB/BOG
MP for Tamale Central, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed