A communication team member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ellen Ama Daaku has described as ‘useless’ the ad hoc committee constituted to probe the charges leveled against Ken Ofori-Atta and seeking his removal as the Finance Minister.
Madam Daaku stated without mincing words the 8-member committee is a waste of the taxpayers’ money.
“I feel it is one of the most (with all due respect) useless committees that Parliament has ever (with all due respect) wasted all of us our money. I feel it didn’t get the effect it wanted to,” She said on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV on Monday.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin constituted an eight-member bipartisan committee to probe the seven grounds put forward by the Minority to demand the removal of Mr. Ofori-Atta.
The 8-member ad hoc committee is chaired by the Adansi Asokwa MP, K.T. Hammond, and Bolgatanga East MP, Dominic Ayine.
Other members of the committee from the Minority side are; North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Klottey-Korle MP, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, and Akatsi South MP, Bernard Ahiafor.
The rest from the Majority side include; Okaikoi Central MP, Yaw Boahmah, Ashanti Akyem Central MP, Emmanuel Anyimadu-Antwi, and Sekondi MP, Andrew Egyapa Mercer.
The committee was given seven days to submit its report.
But speaking on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV on Monday, November 21, 2022, Ellen Ama Daaku questioned the rationale behind the formation of the committee.
Quoting Article 82 clause 5, she said, “We go through all these processes put the Minister [Ofori-Atta] there, bring out your allegations – all bit baseless he also put out whatever he wants to. You go back to the preliminary and start the work. Let’s agree a vote of censure is taken against the minister our constitution has been crafted in such a way that the final power still lies in the president.”
She added, “The Constitution says he may. I believe that from everything that has gone on. From what the President said and all the issues that have gone on in relation to Finance Minister – this committee — in our present condition that we are all trying to forgetting out of the economic issues we find ourselves, I don’t think it was a very useful venture.”
Ama Daaku was, however, quick to add that parliament is a master of its rules
“Parliament has the right to have its committees,” she noted.
According to her, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta acquitted himself when he appeared before the committee on Friday.
“For me, I think he [Ofori-Atta] acquitted himself. He gave all the answers. You may not agree with his answers but I believe he did well. I believe he gave excellent answers,” she stated.
By: Bernard Ralph Adams | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
