- "I am still hopeful and I am quite hopeful that Honourable Ablakwa will change his mind. I am quite hopeful and if he is hearing some of us who are senior to him and whom he respects so much, I think it should be possible for him to change his mind so that we can still work as a team."
National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Zebilla East, Cletus Avoka, has appealed to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to rescind his decision to resign from the appointments committee of Parliament.
The NDC MP for North Tongu resigned from the appointments committee of Parliament over perceived disagreement with the Minority leadership during the approval of Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
There are also reports of attempts to change the current Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, over allegations of betrayal during the vetting and approval of Ofori-Atta and other ministers. However, the Tamale South MP said he is still at post as leader of the main opposition in Parliament.
Speaking to Wilberforce Asare on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday, the Zebilla East MP refuted claims suggesting that the NDC members were compromised to approve Ofori-Atta.
“I am still hopeful and I am quite hopeful that Honourable Ablakwa will change his mind. I am quite hopeful and if he is hearing some of us who are senior to him and whom he respects so much, I think it should be possible for him to change his mind so that we can still work as a team,” Avoka said.
“You see, the advice I will give is that you don’t necessarily change your church if the pastor is not doing well, you might change from one church to the other and the pastor there may be doing worst. If the committee has challenges it is good to be there to fight so that people will see the wisdom in your position and change… so I am pleading and I am hopeful it will be possible for him to change his mind,” the former Interior Minister said.
Ablakwa’s resignation
The North Tongu MP resigned from the appointments committee on Tuesday (31 March).
“This was after days of careful reflection and thoughtful considerations,” the former deputy education minister said in a letter to the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, dated 30 March.
“I shall like [sic] to state that the reason for this difficult decision is both personal and on principle,” Ablakwa wrote.
He said his resignation from the 26-member committee takes immediate effect.
“May I extend to you, leadership of the House, the Committee of Selection and the leadership of the great National Democratic Congress (NDC), my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to serve as a member of the sixth, seventh and eighth parliaments of the Republic of Ghana,” the letter concluded.
Fred Dzakpata
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