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There are now 98 New Patriotic Party(NPP) lawmakers who are now asking for the dismissal of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
The expulsion of Charles Adu Boahen, the minister of state for finance, and Ken Ofori-Atta was previously demanded by the 80 MPs.
After meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who requested that the minister be allowed more time to wrap up Ghana’s continuing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and bring the 2023 budget to parliament, the MPs ultimately withdrew their objections.
The 80 MPs’ spokesperson, Andy Appiah-Kubi, however, said in an interview with media that the group was returning to its original demand that the finance minister be fired.
The position of the minister is now untenable, according to the member of parliament for Asante Akyem North, who is also supported by 18 other caucus members in their reiterated demand.
If he is permitted to deliver the budget in parliament, the anti-Ofori-Atta MPs, he said, will boycott the event.
“We’ve gone back to (our demand for the President to) sack him now and therefore should the budget be presented under the stamp of the Finance Minister, we’ll not participate because as far as we’re concerned we’re never going to do business with him.
“And if we’re not going to do business with him, he does not participate in any process from the Presidency to the House. We will not participate in deliberations too,” Appiah Kubi said.
He emphasized that if a new, different individual is chosen to lead the presentation, it is the only way the group would engage in the budget presentation and appropriation.
“We’re not saying that we’ll carry out the President’s orders.
Declaring that we won’t use Ofori-Atta for President’s business.
We will cooperate if anyone else arrives with President’s business, he added.
In a previous statement, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the majority leader in parliament, had emphasized that the removal of Mr. Ofori-Atta had become a priority for the caucus as a whole.
A proposal to reprimand the finance minister has been made by the minority in parliament in the meanwhile.
Since then, the motion has been submitted by the speaker of the house to an ad hoc committee, which will then report back to the full house with recommendations.
