General News of Wednesday, 25 January 2017

Source: 3news.com

MPs assessment report dampens Namoale’s presidential ambition

Nii Amasah Namoale Nii Amasah Namoale

The Dadekotopon former Member of Parliament, Nii Amasah Namoale has discredited reports by Odekro, a civil society organisation, which named him among 18 other MPs as failing to make a single statement in the august House during the Sixth Parliament.

Nii Amasah Namoale said the research findings of Odekro were not credible and must be taken with a pinch of salt, wondering why media houses should give it a mileage.

He made the comments on Onua FM morning show on Wednesday hosted by Bright Kwesi Asempa.

A study conducted by Odekro and funded by STAR-Ghana named Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament Adwoa Safo, Assin Central MP Ken Agyapong and former Navrongo Central MP Mark Woyongo among 50 worse performing legislators in the sixth parliament.

The organisation stated that for a House that demands members to talk and debate issues of policy, it was striking to discover that some members were silent during the Sixth Parliament.

But Nii Amasah Namoale said Odekro has just set out to hamper his ambition of contesting the flagbearership of the NDC in 2020.

He confirmed to Onua FM’s morning show that he will only contest the party’s presidential slot if the former Vice Chancellor of UPSA, Prof. Joshua Alabi, does not contest.

“This is what happens when someone wants to contest for the presidency. You find all kinds of people and groups coming out with all kinds of findings,” he expressed his disgust for the report.

He said anyone who wants to know the work he did during the Sixth Parliament can do so by checking the Parliamentary Hansard both at the Committee level as well as on the floor of Parliament. He stressed that he has been on three committees during his stay in Parliament, therefore, it will be erroneous on the part of Odekro to report that he has been silent in the House.

“Even if I don’t speak at all on the floor of Parliament, I do a lot of Committee work. Parliamentary work is not all about making comments or debating on the floor of Parliament; majority of the work is at the Committee level” the former Dadekotopon MP lamented.

He further said Africa Watch Magazine did a report on the same Sixth Parliament but he was not rated among non-performing MPs, so “I am surprised to see Odekro’s research saying those things about me.”