Haruna Iddrisu
Desposed Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu has rejected seat at the Minority side joining Majority caucus in Parliament for business of the House.
He has ‘crossed carpet’ from National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament on Thursday to join the Majority New Patriotic Party (NPP) side, having turned down a seat offered to him.
The Tamale South MP chose to contribute to a report on the African Union Convention on Cross-Border Cooperation (Niamey Convention) from a Majority seat, claiming he does not have a seat at the Minority side.
According to him, he is not prepared to occupy a seat originally belonging to the MP for Asutifi South, Alhaji Collins Dauda, a senior member of the minority who is older in terms of age and experience.
Prior to the rejection of the chair, Haruna, Muntaka ‘checked out’ of Chamber when Ato Forson and new Minority leadership took charge.
The day kicked-off gingerly as the lenses focused on the minority caucus to see whether their front will be divided or demonstrate a show of solidarity to their new leadership, which moved to occupy the front row.
It was an awe-inspiring to see the new leadership led by Cassiel Ato Forson welcoming their predecessors with open hands, hugging each other and tried to crack up some jokes.
It was the first time they were all meeting publicly after the leadership of the NDC reshuffled and removed Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader replacing him with Cassiel Ato Forson.
James Klutse Avedzi has also been reshuffled out as deputy Minority leader and replaced with Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah and Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka also out as Minority Chief Whip and replaced with Governs Kwame Agbodza.
The former minority chief Whip, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka and the former deputy minority leader, James Klutse Avedzi, were literally everywhere to cheer up their colleagues but conspicuously missing was the former leader, Haruna Iddrisu.
Yesterday, indeed, Mr Iddrisu, reported early to register his name at the Table Office, but checked out almost immediately even before most of his colleagues could arrive.
And after smiling to the cameras, Muntaka, also sneaked out almost unnoticed leaving only Mr Avedzi who stayed throughout the day’s activities.
Both Muntaka and Mr Iddrisu could not be reached after the sitting to react to their rather unusual action.
This has raised issued within some corridors of the party that if the leadership believes it has resolved the reshuffle of its front bench, the antics of the former leader should put the party on red alert that perhaps the worst is yet to come.
The reshuffle in the party’s leadership in Parliament sparked a serious confusion within the NDC group in Parliament splitting support for the new leader, Cassiel Ato Forson and Haruna Iddrisu.
The matter was reportedly resolved after a meeting that was jointly called by the national leadership, the Council of Elders and the Minority Caucus in Parliament last Monday.
The meeting attracted the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah; the General Secretary, Fiifi Kwetey as well as members of the Council of Elders.
After the resolution, the Minority seats were rearranged to accommodate the former leaders who by convention sit directly behind the front bench.
Mr. Haruna, however, refused to take the seat officially designated for him by former Minority leader Cletus Avoka.
“Forgive me Mr. Speaker that I have to assume your chair because there was whether I should take over from Hon. Collins Dauda or not. I have told them that Hon. Collins Dauda is senior by age, senior even to this House,” he pointed out.
He added that “I will not fit into his chair as somebody who is well-trained from home. So any other chair, Mr. Speaker, is acceptable to me. I’m still the Member of Parliament for Tamale South.”
By Vincent Kubi