NDC Minority will reject allowance for emergency sitting – Ablakwa

The National Democratic Congress(NDC) Minority in Parliament has indicated that members will not take sitting allowance for last Friday’s emergency sitting over the controversial cash-for-seat saga that caused an uproar among a section of the public.

Several Ghanaians including the Executive Director of the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs have said the emergency sitting called by the Minority was a waste of taxpayers’ money as all the 275 Members of Parliament will have to be paid at least their t&t for traveling from far and near from their various constituencies to Parliament House in Accra.

Others have advocated for new procedures that will make it almost difficult for a few parliamentarians to call an emergency sitting.

A group calling itself—the Parliamentary News Africa (PNAfrica) has waded into the discussion calling on parliament to disclose how much was spent on recalling the house to consider a motion by the Minority on the $100.000.00 fee charged expatriates business moguls to sit close to President Akufo-Addo during the Ghana Expatriates Business Awards held last year.

“We call on the Parliamentary Service with the Rt. Hon. Oquaye as Chairman of its Board; and the Clerk of Parliament as the administrative head of Ghana’s legislature, to make public the cost of this emergency recall and previous emergency recalls,” requested PNAfrica in a press release dated Saturday, January 6, 2018.

But Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa speaking on Joy FM’s News File show, stated that the Minority did not consider any monetary gains in calling for the emergency sitting.

“There have been two instances where there were no payments, in the case of the Merchant Bank/FORTIZ recall and the case of the Ford Expedition recall, so I don’t expect any payment in this instance. We will reject the payment if we are paid, we’re not expecting any payment. There’ll be no cost to the state, I want that to be placed on record.