How Bagbin fought off protest from NPP to keep Asiedu Nketia on Parliamentary Service Board

Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress has revealed that Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, had to fight off protests from the government and the New Patriotic Party’s leadership in Parliament to have him as a member of the Parliamentary Service Board.

News of his appointment was greeted with outright disapproval and criticism of Bagbin by some members of the New Patriotic Party led by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.

The Suame MP has embarked on a media campaign to discredit the appointment of Asiedu Nketia on the committee with the reason that his presence on the board amounts to an intrusion of the house.

“You have brought in Kofi Attor who is the Vice-Chairman of a party as an adviser. He has brought in two former MPs he says he is bringing them on as advisers, Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary, of the party and then, Gayheart Mensah, he is also coming to the Speaker’s office.

“So you are turning that place into an enclave for the NDC. There is one other guy whose name I have forgotten. He was a usual panel at Radio Gold. I understand he wants to make him his Communications Officer,” he said.

But in an interview with Joy News, Asiedu Nketia revealed that Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu had been on that tangent since he learnt of his appointment in January.

According to him, the government and its officials were bent on having any other person other than him (Asiedu Nketia) as a member of the Parliamentary Service Board.

He said, Alban Bagbin, however, stood his ground, insisting that he must be a member of the board.

“This appointment was offered to me as far back as January because Parliament and its institutions had to be constituted to prepare to receive and vet ministers. Immediately it came, I responded and gave my consent. There was some lacuna and when I asked I was told that NPP was objecting to the appointment.

“This is an appointment that has been contested severely to a point where I heard people say that any other person in the whole world is preferable to Asiedu Nketia but Bagbin also said that he wanted Asiedu Nketia over anyone.

“The argument between Bagbin and Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu on the floor of Parliament, these are some of the underlining currents. I’m happy that Bagbin put his foot down and I’m happy to accept it because I want Speaker Bagbin to succeed,” he said.