Rashid Pelpuo clarifies petition purported to shoot down reshuffle of NDC leadership in Parliament

Dr. Hassan Rashid Pelpuo, NDC Member of Parliament for Wa Central Constituency has clarified the reasons behind the petition of some Minority MPs reportedly against the decision of the party to ring some changes to their side in Parliament.

According to him, the petition is not intended to kick against the decision but ensure the right thing is done by way of more consultations and admition of the party's shortfalls where need be.

"No, that is not the meaning of the petition. It's intended to let them listen to us, engage us. they should sit down with us and listen to our concerns...to let them know that when something of this nature is to take place, those who're going to be affected must be consulted. That's all (the petition entails). And if at the end of the day, they realize the decision they've taken is not correct, they themselves can reverse it, then they can do that. The petition is not saying that we're against the appointment of the new leadership. You cannot be given leaders without being engaged or consulted," he explained.

He made the clarification with Baaba Jamal, host of Sungmaale FM's Nosuorisung morning show programme Thursday, January 26, 2023.

When asked whether the Upper West Caucus was in support of the reshuffle since their names were not captured in the petition, the leader of the Upper West caucus confirmed they were all part of the petition and that their names might not have been captured when the list initially went out.

"Maybe, it(the petition) came out when our names weren't captured yet. (If not), our names are in it (the petition).

The five-time Member of Parliament also confirmed the MPs were not consulted prior to the decision taken by the party since the House, he indicated, was not in session.

According to him, the news of the reshuffle got to him as a surprise after he initially rubbished it as a fabrication from somebody.

On Wednesday, January 25, some 48 NDC MPs were said to have signed a petition challenging the party's decision of announcing changes to the Minority's decision in Parliament.

Few hours later, some 77 MPs also came out with a petition supporting the leadership shake-up describing the move as a step in the right direction .