Story: News Desk
First Deputy Majority Whip in Parliament, Habib Iddrisu, has assured Ghanaians that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs will maintain a disciplined stance when Parliament reconvenes on Thursday, November 7, despite ongoing disputes over which party holds the majority status in the House.
Iddrisu’s comments follow a statement by Minority Chief Whip and Adaklu MP, Governs Kwame Agbodza, who claimed that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus would assume the majority position.
Agbodza’s assertion is based on Speaker Alban Bagbin’s recent declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant, which he says now gives the NDC caucus the numbers to hold majority status. Agbodza further stated that he would attend Thursday’s session as the Majority Chief Whip.
In an interview with the media on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, he pushed back on Agbodza’s claim, asserting that Speaker Bagbin was yet to definitively grant the NDC majority control in Parliament.
He noted that if the Speaker did not clarify that the NDC cannot occupy the majority seats, the NPP caucus would be forced to reconsider its approach to ensure that parliamentary procedures were upheld.
“What Kwame Agbodza, the Minority Whip, is saying—we will not engage in any drama. I can assure you and also Ghanaians that we in the NPP are law-abiding citizens. We are Democrats, and we will not be involved in any revolutionary chanting or fighting.
“If, tomorrow, the Speaker cannot make it categorically clear that he never said the NDC was the majority and, for that matter, they cannot occupy the majority seat, and if he is going to bring drama in there, we will not be part of it. We will advise ourselves accordingly,” he stated.
The statement highlights rising tensions as both parties prepare for Thursday’s session, with the majority status still in question.
Meanwhile on Thursday morning at the Accra International Conference Centre, ATV observed that only MPs from NDC were present in the chamber as at 8:30 a.m., taking seats on the majority side typically reserved for the caucus with the majority numbers.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) members were yet to arrive, creating a noticeable imbalance in the House.
