By Franklin Asare-Donkoh and Francis Edzorna Mensah
The National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) Minority Members in Parliament Vote of Censure against the beleaguered Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, has failed after less than 183 Members of Parliament voted to oust him.
A secret voting begun immediately after the House debated the report by the Ad hoc Committee set up by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
Prior to the vote, the New Patriotic Party MPs staged a walkout and decided not to support the motion of their colleagues from the Minority side of the House.
At the end of voting, 136 NDC MPs voted to demand the removal of Mr Ofori-Atta falling short of the two-thirds Constitutional Requirement for the motion to pass through.
The Minority caucus filed a motion of Censure against the Finance Minister, accusing him of mismanagement of the economy, financial recklessness, conflict of interest, and gross mismanagement of the economy.
In his defense, the Finance Minister rejected allegations of conflict of interest and gross mismanagement of the economy against him by the Minority caucus in Parliament.
He said he had done nothing wrong and described the allegations against him as witch-hunting.
“If I say I am innocent they (minority) will not believe me and if I ask for the truth and proof, they will not be able to provide that. I have committed no crime,” an emotional Mr Ofori-Atta told Parliament.
