The presidential candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has told the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its parliamentary caucus that majority seats are won at the polling stations and not in parliament.
As such, he has suggested to the NDC to focus its energy on securing the seats from the thumbs of the voters and not the tactics they are playing in the House to be in the majority.
Addressing a mammoth rally at Nkawkaw, in the Eastern Region, on Saturday, October 19, 2024 vice president Dr. Bawumia poked the NDC, following the ruling of the Supreme Court to stay the execution of the communication by Speaker Bagbin’s last Thursday that four seats were vacant.
“I want to let the NDC know that if they want majority in Parliament, they should come to the polling station. They should come to the constituency, win an election and then go to Parliament. You cannot sit in Parliament and manufacture a majority for yourself. We will meet them at the constituencies and we will meet them at the polling stations,” Dr. Bawumia further remarked.
24 HOUR
In a subtle mockery of the 24-hour economy policy announcement by the NDC and the duration of their being declared majority from last Thursday’s announcement by Speaker Bagbin and the ruling by the Supreme Court the following day, Dr. Bawumia made fun of the NDC MPs that they were majority for just 24 hours.
He said that was the shortest term of a political majority he had ever witnessed in the world, a statement that saw the NPP supporters at the rally grounds cheering.
“Two days ago, they did something in Parliament, after which they claimed they are the majority in Parliament. I believe you have heard it. They only had a 24-hour majority, the shortest-living majority that I know of in history,” the Vice President Bawumia said.
CANVASS FO VOTE
However, he used the opportunity to urge the supporters to vote for him and the Nkawkaw NPP parliamentary candidate and by extension all other NPP candidates on December 7.
“It is very important that you vote for me, Dr. Bawumia, but it is even more important that you vote for Joseph Frimpong because we want the parliamentary majority,” he said.
BACKGROUND
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, on Thursday, 17 October 2024 in a communication to the House, following a statement by the Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, declared four parliamentary seats vacant.
Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah, MP for Amenfi Central in the Western Region, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, MP for Fomena, Ashanti Region (Independent), Kwadwo Asante, MP for Suhum, Eastern Region (NPP), and Cynthia Morrison, MP for Agona West, Central Region, were the MPs affected by the announcement of the Speaker.
However, lawyers of the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin proceeded to the Supreme Court on Friday, 18 October 2024, with an ex parte application, praying the apex court of the land to stay the enforcement of the announcement by the Speaker.
A five-member Supreme Court panel presided over by the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, granted the ex-parte motion and ruled that the four MPs should be allowed to continue their roles as representatives of their constituents in the House until the final determination of the matter seeking an interpretation of Article 97 (1)(g) and (h) of the 1992 constitution.
DECISIVE MAJORITY
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr. Bawumia, at the Nkawkaw rally assured the supporters that the message of the elephant party had resonated well with the masses.
According to him, after campaigning in over 200 constituencies and per the data available to him, if elections were held that day, he was sure the NPP would have a decisive majority seats.
However, he encouraged the NPP supporters not to be complacent but to keep the momentum the election was over, and by the dawn of December 7, the NPP will have a majority of parliamentary seats.
“What I can assure you from what I know after visiting over 200 constituencies, campaigning on the ground, and seeing the data is that if we were voting today, the NPP would have a decisive majority—not a majority but a decisive majority in Parliament,” Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia added.
