Kennedy AgyapongÂ
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, is billed to meet the Privileges Committee of Parliament today to explain why he absented himself for 15 sitting days without permission.
The maverick politician was referred to the committee recently by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, alongside two other lawmakers, namely Henry Quartey of Ayawaso Central; and Sarah Adwoa Safo of Dome-Kwabenya.
Mr. Agyapong reportedly asked for permission to go for a medical trip abroad, and his meeting day with the Privileges Committee was rescheduled to today.
Even though Mr. Quartey arrived at the venue for the meeting with the committee last week, he could not be attended to because the committee’s chairman, Joseph Osei-Owusu, was billed to take over from the Speaker in the chamber.
Adwoa Safo
In the case of the Dome-Kwabenya MP, she could not show up, insisting that she was not aware of any summon that asked her to appear before the committee for interrogations.
“I am not aware such a thing has been given to me. I am just hearing it from you. As we speak, I don’t know that I have been invited. I have to be served,” she told Joy News.
Reminder
But the Chairman of the Committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu, said Adwoa Safo was written to by the Privileges Committee, explaining that a letter of her summons was sent to her through email and copied to her WhatsApp number and office.
“We will send her a reminder,” he reiterated and added, “In our letter to her, we stated that we would offer her the opportunity to be interviewed through Zoom, a virtual video conferencing platform.”
Background
On April 5, 2022, Sarah Adwoa Safo of Dome Kwabenya; Henry Quartey of Ayawaso Central; and Kennedy Ohene Agyapong of Assin Central were referred to the Privileges Committee for allegedly absenting themselves from the House for more than 15 sitting days without permission.
The Speaker, who made the referral, said evidence made available to him by the “table office indicates that three of the Hon. Members have so far absented themselves in this meeting for more than 15 sitting days without permission as recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.”
“I trust that the Committee of Privileges will consider this matter with the urgency and seriousness it deserves as the public interest in this matter is amazed. More importantly, we make the law and we must be seen to be obeying and complying with the laws we make,” he added.
BY Ernest Kofi Adu