Former Member of Parliament for Akawtia Constituency in the Eastern region, Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed has stated that the recent turmoil in National Democratic Congress (NDC) over ministerial approvals should serve as a wake-up call for the party ahead of the 2024 general elections.
According to Baba Jamal, the alleged betrayal of some minority Members of Parliament has caused confusion among the grassroots, which situation requires immediate attention in order to persuade the people to work.
“Initially, I thought 2024 was a done deal for NDC... but what they have done shows that we have to do extra work, because of their actions, I have realized that there is more than what I imagined because how to encourage our grassroots people to work is a different situation altogether."
In an interview with Okay FM on March 28, 2023, Baba Jamal advised party supporters not to be discouraged by the actions of the few members of parliament who defied the party orders and instead to look up to those who supported them.
“What I’m telling the grassroots is that, they should not be discouraged, but rather look upon those who stood behind the party and to work hard for the NDC, because investigations are ongoing and the culprits won’t be forgiven,” he added.
Prior to the vetting of ministerial nominees by the Appointments Committee of Parliament, the NDC had issued a directive to its MPs to reject the nominees in demand for a reduction in the size of the current government.
However, when the House conducted a secret ballot on the nominees, all six got overwhelming votes despite the equal numbers on both sides of the House.
The outcome of the voting process has led to accusations of treachery being made against the minority MPs.
Some members of the caucus have since taken to social media to express their disappointment with the result while others have sought to claim their innocence.
Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed, Former Member of Parliament for Akawtia Constituency