Majority leader wanted to stop Oquaye from contesting for Speaker - Muntaka
- Mubarak Muntaka has said Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, had plans to withdraw the Mike Oquaye from the speakership race
- He said when it had become clear that Oquaye had lost the election, the leader for the NPP caucus decided to take that decision
- Muntaka, however, refuted claims that the election of Speaker for the 8th Parliament was based on consensus
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The Member of Parliament, MP, for the Asawaase constituency, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, has been making some allegations from parliament since January 7's incident.
He has alleged that the MP for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, had plans to withdraw the NPP's nominee Prof Mike Oquaye from the race.
According to him, when it became clear during the counting of ballots that Oquaye had lost the election, the leader for the NPP caucus decided to take that decision.
Source: Facebook
"... when Kyei saw Ocquaye lost to Bagbin, then he came to say that can you, all the same, withdraw the nomination of Mike Oquaye but we said no,” Muntaka explained.
On the dawn of January 7, 2021, members of parliament were to choose between Algban Bagbin and the Professor Mike Ocquaye.
Unfortunately Ocquaye, he lost to Bagbin with 136 votes as against 138 votes with one rejected ballot.
MP for Tema West, Carlos Ahenkorah, sensing that Ocquaye was loosing, snatched some of the ballot papers when counting was ongoing for Bagbin
However, speaking in an interview on Joy News Muntaka refuted claim that the election of Speaker for the 8th Parliament was based on consensus, as suggested by Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu.
According to Osei Kyei it was a mutual decision from both sides to make Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin the speaker.
Muntaka explained that due to the ballot snatching incident, there was the need for the leadership to consult on the way forward.
He added that it was during the consultative meeting that the Osei Kyei suggested that he wanted to withdraw the nomination of his party’s candidate.
In announcing the results, the Clerk to Parliament stated that Alban Bagbin had won though he failed to mention the number of votes polled.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu howver, used the clerk's announcement to defend his claim that the position was given to Alban Bagbin out of leadership consensus.
In other news, the auditor general, Daniel Domelovo has spoken up on his date of resumption after going silent for a while.
In a post sighted by YEN.com.gh on his official Facebook page, he said unlike what people are speculating he would not be resuming his official duties on Monday, January 11, 2021.
According to him, his 167 working days leave would end on March 2, 2021 and will official report to work on March 3, 2021.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
