NDC leadership holds crunch meeting with Minority Caucus today

The leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has written to the Minority Caucus in Parliament requesting for a meeting today, Monday, February 6, 2023.

The main agenda of the meeting is to discuss matters arising out of the recent shake-up in their leadership.

Though the party has proposed 2:00pm for the meeting, the Caucus have been asked to pick a venue of their choice, but should be in Parliament House.

The NDC leadership in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament on January 23 named Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson as the new Minority Leader replacing Haruna Iddrisu. 

The party also gave the names of Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah and Kwame Agbodza as the new Deputy Minority Leader and Chief Whip respectively.

The announcement caused a sharp division among members of parliament with a pocket of party supporters protesting against the decision.

An emergency meeting was hurriedly convened on Thursday, January 26 but was postponed at the last minute, which is now expected to be held today.

The meeting would have afforded the leadership of the party the opportunity to convince its protesting Members of Parliament to buy into its decision to change the leadership of the Minority in the House.

Meanwhile, General Secretary of the NDC, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, has written to the new Minority Leader in a letter dated February 2, requesting for a meeting.

“We bring you fraternal greetings from the Functional Executive Committee of the Party and trust this letter finds you in good health,” the opening paragraph of the letter read.

The letter noted that following the shake-up, the executives have had a number of engagements with various stakeholders of the party.

The Minority Leader has been tasked to communicate the contents of the letter to all members of the Caucus and to also ensure attendance at the meeting.

“The meeting will also enable us to formally introduce the new leadership to the Caucus,” the letter said.

Three persons were copied in the letter: Haruna Iddrisu who was addressed as the former Minority Leader; Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, former Whip, Minority Caucus; and Kwame Agbodza, the substantive Whip, Minority Caucus.

In the heat of the rancour that greeted the leadership change, the party’s Council of Elders had cause to bar party leadership and functionaries from making public comments on the controversial reshuffling.

This was after receiving a petition authored by some disgruntled MPs, which the Council said it has initiated steps to “act expeditiously” on the matter.

“While this process is underway, the Council urges our Honourable Members of Parliament, Party leadership at all levels and all concerned persons to refrain from further public pronouncements on the matter in the larger interest of our great NDC.

“This is a time to be circumspect in order not to play into the hands of our detractors.”

Read also: Asiedu Nketia explains change in NDC’s parliamentary leadership