General News of Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-02-23Adwoa Safo saga: Akufo-Addo holds crunch meeting with NPP Majority leadership – Reports
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Two NPP MPs accuse Sarah Adwoa Safo of stalling government business
Majority hints at triggering processes to have Dome-Kwabenya seat declared vacant
Presidency resolves to discontinue diplomatic engagement with Sarah Adwoa Safo
President
Read full articletarget='_blank' href='/GhanaHomePage/people/person.php?ID=253'>Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo reportedly held a crunch meeting with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) leadership in Parliament together with some party stalwarts to determine the fate of Sarah Adwoa Safo.
The meeting said to have been held on the night of February 21, 2022, was to find a lasting solution to the controversy around the Dome-Kwabenya Member of Parliament's absence from the House.
Joy News reporter Elton Brobbey reports that the president also met to discuss the multiple demands on the government and the NPP by Sarah Adwoa Safo.
According to him, the presidency has strongly resolved not to give in to any demands as being speculated and has also ruled out options of persuading the MP to reconsider her decision to be absent from the House.
He reported on Joy FM's Top Story that the presidency and the party are considering moves to trigger processes to have the Dome-Kwabenya seat declared vacant.
"What I'm picking is that the presidency is unwilling to allow her have her way and for that reason, last night's meeting called by the president which was attended by the [NPP] leadership in Parliament and some leading members of the party made it clear that persuasion has gotten to a point where they can no longer continue and be held ransom for the next three years.
"So there is the need for the party to draw a line in the sand between them and Sarah Adwoa Safo.
TWI NEWS
According to him, the options agreed upon at this meeting included, "to get a member on the NPP side to file a motion demanding that the Speaker look into the issue of her absenting herself from Parliament for clear 16 days without any notification to the Speaker and begin the process to have the seat declared vacant so that they have a representative because numbers count especially in this parliament."
The journalist continued that some party members are hesitant over the possibility of Adwoa Safo contesting as an independent candidate should the seat eventually be declared vacant.
Despite this, he says the general consensus is to discontinue all persuasive efforts.
"But there are others who are of the view that should that happen and the sitting member of Parliament decide to go unopposed, what then becomes of the seat whether it is going to be safe for the NPP or not.
"At a point, they have to charter a whole private jet for her to come to Ghana to participate in parliamentary business. Getting her has become even difficult. The Chief of Staff, a female MP from the Ashanti region [very close to her], was sent to the US quite recently to convince her to come, that did not materialise," he added.
TWI NEWS
Background
Sarah Adwoa Safo has in recent times become very topical as a result of her absence from Parliament.
Two NPP MPs, Kennedy Agyapong and Michael Okyere Baafi, claim that she is holding the NPP party to ransom.
According to them, she is blackmailing the party to be made Deputy Majority Leader.
JoyNews' Parliamentary correspondent, Kwesi Parker Wilson, reports that the majority is set to trigger the removal of Adwoa Safo.
Speaking on Joy FM's Top Story programme, he stated that some members of the Majority Caucus had hinted that she would be reported formally to the Privileges Committee for onward action.
