Ofori-Atta: Censure Motion Against Finance Minister To Be Decided Thursday, December 8, 2022

• The vote of censure against Ken Ofori-Atta is most likely to be taken on Thursday, December 8, 2022
• The vote will be successful if two-thirds of all MPs support the motion to remove Ofori-Atta as finance minister
• The Minority is hoping to whip its Members of Parliament during the secret ballot to determine the minister's fate

Minority Members of Parliament are determined to do their bit today Thursday, December 8, 2022, to make a vote of censure against finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta successful.

Whether Ofori-Atta will remain president Akufo-Addo's finance minister or not will be determined on Thursday as Parliament votes on censure motion triggered by the Minority.

The Minority is confident that Ofori-Atta, accused of making poor decisions on the economy like excessive borrowing and misreporting fiscal figures to Parliament, will be voted out.

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Leadership of the Minority say they will adopt a three-line whip to ensure the revocation of the appointment of Ofori-Atta as manager of Ghana's finances.

A three-line whip instructs MPs to vote in a particular way, in case vote to approve the minister's removal.

Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, the Minority Chief Whip, has told Joy News that NDC MPs who have travelled out of town are on their way back to ramp up their numbers.

“I can assure you some people [Members of Parliament] are on their way back, others are in the US; they are on their way back... Everybody is on his/her way back.

"I can assure you that we are keeping our cards close to our chest and we believe that by the Grace of God, by the time we are done with the secret balloting, finance minister will be out,” he assured.

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The Minority is confident of redeeming lost trust of the public.

Many Ghanaians feel they have not done a good job to block some controversial decisions by the Executive despite having near-equal numbers as the government-aligned Majority.

Already, the report of an eight-member ad hoc committee that heard evidence of the grounds brought against the minister has been submitted to Parliament.

However, because the law leaves the final decision in the hands of the president it is likely Nana Akufo-Addo will still keep the minister even if the vote is successful.

The law states thus:

"Where a vote of censure is passed against a Minister under this article the President may, unless the Minister resigns his office, revoke his appointment as a Minister."

“Despicable Conflict of Interest” And 6 Other Reasons Why Finance Minister Could Lose His Job

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported in a previous story that the Minority listed seven reasons as justification for Ofori-Atta's appointment to be revoked.

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The MPs say the minister has misconducted himself both professionally and legally.

They accuse the minister of withdrawing money from the Consolidated Fund unconstitutionally.

A secret vote will determine the minister's fate,

Two-thirds of the number of MPs in Parliament are required to pass the vote of censure against the minister.

These are grounds the Minority have cited for Ofori-Atta's dismissal:

1. Despicable conflict of Interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana's economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantage particularly from Ghana's debt overhang;

2. Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution supposedly for the construction of the President's Cathedral;

3. Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution;

4. Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament

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5. Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst performing currency in the world;

6. Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and on excruciating cost of living crisis;

7. Gross mismanagement of the economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship.

Source: YEN.com.gh