Haruna Iddrisu’s Petition for Declaration of Vacant Seats Bizarre- Ras Mubarak

Former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak, has described the former Minority Leader’s petition to Parliament, requesting the Speaker to declare three seats vacant, as “bizarre and shocking”.

Hon Haruna Iddrisu’s petition supported by Article 97 (1)(g) of the Constitution, comes in the wake of four MPs’- three NPP MPs and one NDC MP- decision to go independent in the upcoming elections.

A debate on the petition took place on the floor of Parliament on October 15 with the Speaker, Rt Hon Alban Sumana deferring a judgement on it.

It is the opinion of Mubarak that this is a “waste” of time, adding that it “completely ignores the most pressing issues in the country”.

According to him, pressing needs such as spiralling accident rates, environmental destruction through galamsey, the Electoral Commission’s “worrying” posture towards the NDC and more are being traded for this petition.

“All of these issues are ignored for a more hopeless frolic that has zero impact on our fortunes in the upcoming elections nor the issues high up on the minds of suffering Ghanaians,” he said in a statement on Facebook.

He indicated that Haruna Iddrisu has no moral right to raise this issue, as he stood by while some legislators flouted the constitution during his time as the leader of the Minority in Parliament.

“Under the watch of the former Minority Leader, the NDC had a chance to cause the removal of some MPs who’d violated the constitution and cause a by-election. This was in 2022 when the following MPs – Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, Hon. Henry Quartey and Hon. Kojo Kum, absented themselves from Parliament without leave of the Speaker.

“Never once during this egregious violation of the constitution did we hear the mover of today’s motion talk about defending the constitution. It took my petition to Parliament, which the Minority even attempted to shoot down, for the matter to be heard and brought before the Privileges Committee.”

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini