| General News
[ 2016-08-27 ]
Parliament recalled to consider Mahama impeachment motion Members of Parliament (MP) have been recalled to
consider a motion seeking to impeach President
John Mahama for accepting a ford Expedition
vehicle as a gift from a Burkinabe contractor.
An investigative report by Joy News’ Manasseh
Awuni Azure quotes Mr Kanazoe confirm giving the
vehicle to the President through Ghana’s
Ambassador to Burkina Faso.
Djibril Kanazoe who describes the President as a
friend is the contractor behind the controversial
$650,000 Ghana Embassy wall in Burkina Faso which
was flagged by Parliament’s Public Account
Committee (PAC).
He is also the only African awarded part of the
high budget road project in Ghana, the Eastern
Corridor Road Project. There was reports that he
was being considered for the GH¢82 million road
project at Hamile but pulled out following the
expose´.
But President Mahama in a breakfast meeting with
the clergy in June denied using the vehicle for
his personal comfort saying, it was given to the
state.
A summon by the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe
Adjaho directed MPs to return to the house on
Thursday, September 1, but fell short of
disclosing the agenda for the sitting.
However, Article 112 (3) of the Constitution says
if 15 percent of MPs sign a petition, parliament
must sit to consider it. The current parliament
has 275 MPs with 148 (National Democratic
Congress), 121 (New Patriotic Party), 3
(Independent), 1 (Convetion People's Party) and
1(People's National Convention).
Joy News checks revealed that more than 100 of
minority NPP MP's are signatory to the impeachment
petition which necessitated a recall of the House.
Joy News parliamentary correspondent Elton John
Brobbey reports that the Majority Chief Whip,
Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka who confirmed the recall
and the impeachement motion said it is an attempt
by the minority to waste parliament's time.
According to Elton, it is not going to be easy for
the minority to have their way as he foresees a
Herculean task for them passing through to the
first stage where they will need two thirds (185)
of MPs to go past this stage.
The majority according to reports is strategising
to ensure that the motion is not even given the
opportunity to be heard on the floor.
Mohammed Muntaka said "They are calling us for a
purpsose which unfortunately I think is a very
wasteful. One which is not going to fly and won't
succeed," he said.
He said the majority are not perturbed by the
impeachment motion but but regret that it is going
to be a waste of everybody's time because the
minority see them very busy working in their
respective constituencies.
"We are doing the best that we can and they are
pausing us for a day. I don't think it would even
last for more than three hours on the floor. We
will get time and go back to work," he said.
He suggests the minority is worried that President
Mahama is working hard, appealing to the
electorates and campaign across the country which
their candidate can't do so they want to slow
things down for the party.
The minority according to Mr Muntaka is unable to
cope with the high tempo of the political game the
majority is playing.
Source - Myjoyonline.com
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