Pressure is mounting on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for the New Juaben South constituency, in the Eastern Region, Michael Okyere Baafi to resign.
The MP is being asked to make do his definitive promise to resign if the NPP’s parliamentary candidate, Solomon Kwame Asumadu, fails to retain the Akwatia constituency by-election.
The agitating calls came moments after the NPP lost the Akwatia constituency seat which became vacant following the sudden demise of the MP Ernest Yaw Kumi.
The seat has been snatched by private legal practitioner, Bernard Bediako Baidoo with 18, 199 representing 54.3 percent votes as against 15, 235 votes by the Asumadu.
“If the NPP loses this Akwatia by-election, I will resign as MP. Mark my words”, he declared confidently.
Days before that election, which was held yesterday Tuesday, September 2, the MP promised to sack himself from Parliament. He is on record to have promise not to contest the seat in future parliamentary primary.
The former boss of the Ghana Free Zones Authority (GFZA) speaking to the media days before the election, Okyere Baafi who was in the constituency for a couple of days to campaign said he was convinced that the seat was going to remain with the party.
He said, per his assessment of the campaign, the NPP had done enough to win the seat and so if it loses same, he will cut short his stay in Parliament going forward.
Interestingly, the declaration of the NDC’s Bernard Bediako Baidoo as winner of the election, notable members of the public and politicians have begun pilling pressure on him to be a gentleman and fulfill his promise.
Joining in the chorus is the NDC’s deputy director of election and IT, Rashid Tanko Computer. According to him, the MP at all cost must vacant his seat immediately so that another election is held in the New Juaben constituency where he believes they can snatch it too.
Speaking after the declaration of Bediako Baidoo as winner of the incident free by-election, by the Electoral Commission (EC), Computer said the NDC will stop at nothing to ensure that he honours his words.
Even though the MP has since apologized for his comment, Tanko Computer said that action is untenable.
“We are not accepting the apology, he must resign. If he doesn’t resign, Ghanaians will not take politicians seriously. We must be serious; they must hold us to our words. Whatever that comes from my mouth they must take it seriously. Words that come from. I can’t just stand here, make allegations, and say certain things and then within 24hours….
Michael Baafi we will come to his constituency, we are going to test that one. So Ghanaians, now you go and cause trouble and you come apologize is that what we are saying, as honorable members? When you are called honorable, everything of yours must be honourable. I am saying the gentleman made a categorical statement: I will resign, Let us go and test their strength in that constituency and see whether a stronghold of the NPP”.
When he was pushed further about the fact that the MP has apologized he retorted that“if he doesn’t resign we will write to the Speaker of Parliament and he must apologize on the floor of Parliament so that the whole of Parliament will know who he is so that they will know that certain activities of people like that should not be countenance. They must allow decency in our politicking so that Ghanaian will respect us”.
Others in the NDC including the Ashanti Regional Minister Dr Frank Amoakohene, MP for the Ayawaso West Wuogon and Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture John Setor Dumelo, as well as security expert Dr Ismael Norman have all waded into the calls.
Dr Norman for instance says that the MP should be removed by the NPP if he doesn’t willingly resign.
By Gifty Boateng
