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The independent Member of Parliament for Fomena constituency Andrews Asiamah Amoakoa has officially written to the leader of the NPP Caucus (Hon Kyei Mensah Bonsu) and indicated that he will do business with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 8th parliament.
In a letter addressed to the Leader of the NPP Caucus, the independent member of parliament (MP) said: “I shall, for purposes of transacting business associate with the NPP caucus in the Eighth Parliament”.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I do hereby affirm that I shall cooperate and collaborate with the NPP caucus in the Eighth (8) Parliament”, the letter dated January 13 read.
This official document from Andrews Asiamah will help decide what caucus holds the majority in Parliament.
It is expected that the latest development will bring to finality the debate on who holds the majority and minority in the House between the NDC and NPP.
The 2020 parliamentary election saw both the NDC and NPP winning 137 seats each with one independent candidate.
Background
After deciding not to contest in the party’s primaries prior to the 2020 general elections due to the unfair treatment he received from his own party, he decided to run as an independent candidate. He had been a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which, citing Article 3(9) of its constitution, revoked his membership and notified the Speaker of Parliament, who duly declared his seat vacant on 13 October 2020 under the provisions of Article 97 (1)g of the Constitution.
Hon Amoako Asiamah objected on the grounds that being expelled from the party did not mean he was no longer a member of parliament, and that only the Parliament of Ghana could revoke his position as an elected MP. Legal practitioner Kwaku Asare agreed with Amoako, arguing that such a decision is a legal matter which falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court, as specified by Article 99(1) of the Constitution.
Amoako won the Fomena parliamentary seat during the December 2020 elections with 12,805 votes, defeating his main opponent from his former party, Philip Ofori-Asante, who secured 10,798 votes. His position as an independent member of parliament became even more significant after the 2020 parliamentary elections, given that neither of the two main political parties (NPP and NDC) could secure an outright majority. In a post-election interview, Amoako indicated that he had no ill-feelings towards the NPP over the termination of his party membership.
The General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, has suggested that Amoako could reapply for his NPP membership subject to specific party regulations and conditions. On 7th January, 2021, Asiamah was elected as the Second Deputy Speaker of Ghana’s 8th Parliament of the Fourth Republic. He is the only independent Member of Parliament to have been elected to that position in the history of the country.
Source: Myghanamedia.com
