The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, on Thursday, February 9, 2023 walked into the chamber of the Parliament of Ghana, where discussions were ongoing about the consideration of the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on the African Union Convention on cross-border cooperation (Niamey Convention), and told the Speaker that he has no seat to sit on.
According to him, ever since he was ousted as the Minority Leader in a reshuffle that many have termed as a ‘palace coup’ orchestrated by the national leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), he has not been allocated a seat, in spite of the fact that he still remains the elected MP for Tamale South.
Haruna Iddrisu, wearing a white traditional apparel with a black shoe to match, further told the House, which was presided over the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP for Bekwai, Joseph Osei Owusu, that he was first offered the seat of Collins Dauda, but he declined with the reason that the honourable MP for Asutifi South is his senior in the legislature and also older than him in terms of age.
“Mr. Speaker, forgive me that I have to assume your chair. There was [an arrangement] whether I should take over from Collins Dauda or not. And I told them Collins Dauda is a senior by age and a senior even to this House and I will not take over his chair, as somebody who is well trained from home. So, any other chair is acceptable to me. Mr. Speaker, I am still the elected Member of Parliament for Tamale South. I thank you”, he noted in his concluding remarks on the Niamey Convention.
It was the first time the former Minority Leader was making an appearance on the floor of the House, since the commencement of the First Meeting of the Third Session of the eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic on February 7, 2023.
Following the NDC’s reshuffle in their parliamentary leadership, there have been some changes in the seating arrangements on the side of the Minority Group.
For instance, the immediate past deputy Minority Leader now sits directly behind the new Majority Chief Whip and MP for Adaklu, Kwame Governs Agboza.
The immediate past Minority Chief Whip and MP for Asawase, Mohammed Muntaka-Mubarak has also been allocated a different seat, when many had assumed that he would be allocated the seat of his successor.
On Tuesday, January 24, 2023 the NDC announced some changes in their parliamentary leadership. Then Ranking Member on the Finance Committee and MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam, Casiel Ato Forson replaced the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu.
The Ranking Member on the Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism and MP for Ellembelle, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah also replaced the Deputy Minority Leader and MP for Ketu North, James Klutse Avedzi, while the Ranking Member on the Committee for Roads and Transport and MP for Adaklu, Kwame Governs Agboza replaced the MP for Asawase, Mohammed Muntaka-Mubarak
By Stephen Odoi-Larbi
