Former Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Former Majority Leader on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has disclosed the reasons behind his resignation from his position in Parliament on Friday, February 23, 2024.
According to him, former President Akufo-Addo, together with the leadership of the party, orchestrated his removal, forcing him to step down.
He explained that the president arranged a meeting with him to discuss the changes, stating that the decision was influenced by the likelihood of the then-opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) selecting Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as its running mate.
The NPP, he said, wanted to enhance its visibility in the Central Region and, therefore, sought a replacement from that area.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu further noted that the current Minister of Finance Cassiel Ato Forson at the time had also been appointed as the Minority Leader, which necessitated the selection of Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who hails from the Central Region, to take over his role.
“…What he [the president] said was that at the time, the NDC had elected John Mahama as their presidential candidate, but he hadn’t yet selected his running mate. Based on how things were going, we knew Professor Naana Jane would be his choice,” he revealed.
“At the time, Ato Forson had also taken over from Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader, meaning the NDC was expected to have both its Vice presidential candidate and Minority Leader from the same region. So, the president said the party’s visibility in the Central Region was low, and we needed to strengthen our presence there that is why they wanted someone from the central region,” he added.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu further revealed that about 80 MPs had signed a petition resisting the president’s move, along with some ministers. However, he decided to step down to prevent internal party chaos.
“I was informed about my removal by the president at the time. He called the MPs and ministers to discuss the decision with them,” he recounted.
“So, when the issue came up, over 80 MPs out of the 137 signed a petition stating that they had heard I was being removed and wanted me to assure them that I would stay on, as they were ready to support me.”
“When I entered the meeting room, the president was not yet there. Some of the ministers told me they had heard about my removal and urged me not to accept it because they were ready to stand by me.
“But when the president arrived and explained the decision, he emphasized that it was a party decision, not his personal choice. At that moment, if I had resisted, as the MPs suggested, it could have caused a major implosion in the party. So, I decided to step down.”
AM/KA
Meanwhile, watch this Ghana Month special edition of People and Places as we hear the story of how the head of Kwame Nkrumah’s bronze statue was returned after 43 years, below:
