Some Members of the Majority Caucus in Parliament have called for the immediate dismissal of Ken Ofori-Atta as Minister for Finance by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The MPs also want the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Chares Adu Boahen, to be sacked.
Numbering about 80, the MPs who constitute “a greater number of the Majority Caucus” have thus threatened to vote against all government businesses that will come before the House.
At a press conference addressed by the Asante Akyem North MP, Andy Appiah-Kubi, the MPs said Mr Ofori-Atta and Mr Boahen have ran the economy aground and must be shown the exit.
“Notice is hereby served that until such persons as aforementioned are made to resign or removed from office, we members of the Majority caucus here in parliament will not participate in any business of government by or for the President [or] by any other minister,” he vowed.
The MPs, Mr Appiah-Kubi said have had occasions to defend allegations of conflict of interest, lack of confidence, and trust against the leadership of the finance ministry but cannot continue as such.
The recent spiral depreciation of the Ghana Cedi and general developments within the economy, he said, was of great concern to the greater majority of members of the caucus and their constituents.
“We have made our grave concern to the president through the parliamentary leadership and the leadership of the party without any positive response.
“We are by this medium communicating our strong desire that the president changes the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta and the minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen, without further delay in order to restore hope in the financial sector and reverse the downward trend in the growth of the economy.
“We pray that this prayer would be taken to the president,” he said.
Meanwhile the Minority in Parliament is pushing for a vote of censure on the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta in accordance with Article 82 of the 1992 constitution.
In a memorandum by the Minority Chief Whip Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka to the Speaker of Parliament, the minority said the Finance Minister was involved in despicable conflict of interest by ensuring that he directly benefitted from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies received commissions and other unethical contractual advantage from Ghana’s debt overhang.
The Minority described as unconstitutional withdrawal from the consolidated fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 constitution supposedly for the construction of the Presidential Cathedral.
They accused the Minister of Finance of illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 constitution.
The Minority further accused Mr Ofori-Atta of deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament, fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana cedi which is currently the worse performing currency in the world.
It said the alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude of the minister resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and excruciating cost of living crisis.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
