The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has argued that the New Patriotic Party must account for former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta before asking Ghanaians to entrust it with power again.
Mr. Ayariga made the remarks on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday during a heated exchange with the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, amid discussions surrounding the former minister’s continued stay abroad.
The debate followed reports from lawyers representing Mr. Ofori-Atta that a court in the United States had granted his request for permanent residency.
Addressing Parliament, the Majority Leader insisted that the opposition party could not dissociate itself from the former finance minister, whom it nominated and supported during its tenure in government.
According to him, the NPP owes Ghanaians an explanation regarding the whereabouts and accountability of Mr. Ofori-Atta, who managed the country’s finances during the party’s administration.
“Ghanaians should demand of the NPP that if they don’t produce Ken Ofori-Atta in this country, they should never come before them asking for power again,” Mr. Ayariga stated.
He argued that Parliament approved Mr. Ofori-Atta’s appointment as Finance Minister based on the nomination presented by the NPP and therefore the party must take responsibility for his stewardship.
“Ghanaians must demand of the NPP because you presented him to this Parliament as your nominee for a finance minister, and we approved him as a nominee for finance minister,” he said.
The Majority Leader further accused the former minister of mismanaging the economy during his tenure and questioned the opposition party’s readiness to seek another mandate from voters without addressing concerns surrounding his conduct.
“We gave him our economy to manage, and he mismanaged it and ran away,” Mr. Ayariga alleged.
He maintained that the return of the former finance minister should be a key issue for voters when assessing the NPP’s future electoral ambitions.
According to him, Ghanaians should demand the return of Mr. Ofori-Atta before considering any request by the NPP for another opportunity to govern.
