General News of Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-02-22An NPP MP was once absent for a year, seat wasn’t declared vacant – Sam George 'defends' Adwoa Safo
Dome Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo
Adwoa Safo absent from Parliament
NPP MPs accuse Adwoa Safo of holding party to ransom
Majority set to trigger process to declare Dome-Kwabenya seat vacant
Member of
Read full articlehref='/GhanaHomePage/people/person.php?ID=3205'>Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George, is fighting off moves by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to have the seat of Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo declared vacant following her continuous absence from the chamber.
According to him, it will be interesting to see the NPP side of the house spearhead such an attempt for the Speaker to declare the seat vacant.
The lawmaker disclosed that in 2019, Lower West Akim lawmaker, Hon Kyei Baffour was missing in the House for a year but his seat was not declared vacant.
“It would be interesting to see the NPP make a move for Speaker to declare the Dome-Kwabenya seat vacant. Btw 2019 and 2020, the NPP MP for Lower West Akim, Hon Kyei Baffour was missing for over a year from Parliament yet no such move was made. Principles versus Expediency,” Sam George tweeted.
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 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 her removal.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story programme late last week, he stated that some members of the Majority Caucus had hinted that she will be reported formally to the Privileges Committee for onward action.
Kwesi Parker-Wilson also confirmed that the official records showed that the MP has been absent for the whole of 2022.
He explained further that MPs with valid reasons for being away are usually recorded as “Absent With Permission.”
“There are some NPP MPs who are attributing the delay of the passage of the E-Levy to Adwoa Safo. In fact, today (February 18) is 15 Parliamentary sittings. She has missed 15 sittings”
Per Article 97 (1)(c) of the 1992 Constitution, an MP shall vacate their seat if he/she is absent, without the permission in writing of the Speaker and is unable to offer a reasonable explanation to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges from fifteen sittings of a meeting of Parliament during any period that Parliament has been summoned to meet and continues to meet.
