The Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has been accused of bias by the Majority in Parliament in the approval of the 2024 budget statement.
This was after the Majority walked out when the house was just about to vote on the budget on Wednesday, November 29.
The Majority of Members of Parliament staged a walkout when Parliament was about to approve the 2024 budget statement.
They disagreed with the way the Speaker Alban Bagbin was conducting the business. They accused the Speaker of delaying proceedings in order for the Minority to have their full numbers in the House.
“Sam George is not here, Zanetor is not here, Mahama Ayariga, is not here so five of their members are not here. All the speaker is doing is to delay time for their members to come,” Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu told journalists after they walked out.
The Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin had to suspend sitting.
This makes it the second time they are walking out on their own budget after they first did so on the 2022 budget statement which introduced the e-levy.
Ningo Prampram Lawmaker Samuel Nartey George however rubbished the claim that he was not in Parliament.
The Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of lacking the numbers to approve the 2024 budget statement.
Addressing the press, Dr Ato Forson said “The NPP does not have the numbers to approve their own budget, sensing defeat they decided to walk out. The NDC MPs were ready to vote against the budget.
“Our position is that we can allow the budget to go through in its current form because the ordinary Ghanaian will suffer. John Kumah is not here, Kennedy Agyapong is not here and sensing defeat they walked out, we will not stop, we will do what we have to do. The Budget has not been approved.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta has said that as far as he is concerned the 2024 budget statement has been approved after the Speaker of Parliament said during proceedings in parliament on Wednesday that the Is have after the initial voice vote.
Following a disagreement on the voice vote, the speaker moved to take a headcount but the minority walked out after accusing the Speaker of bias.
Addressing the press after sitting was suspended, the Minister of Finance said “I think we have just witnessed a situation where the Minority Leader gave their closing statement, the Majority also did and then I had some concluding remarks. At the end of the day the Speaker put it to vote twice, he said that he thinks that the Is have it. So that means the budget, in my view, has been passed.
“Later there was a challenge that has not been resolved, as far as I know, and I believe we have the 2024 budget passed until such time as they resolve whenever they want to resolve. So we can all see or hear the video which will clearly show that the speaker stated after the voice declaration that the Is have it. So that is where I stand and I am pleased that the people of Ghana have the budget. As to what they will do parliamentary procedures after that is a different issue.”