The Member of Parliament for Suame Constituency, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has revealed the reason behind the absence of key figures from the party at the presentation ceremony of Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, as the running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Kumasi.
Kyei Mensah Bonsu, in an interview recently shared on YouTube, explained that his absence alongside the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwam, and the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Joseph Osei Owusu popularly known as Joe Wise, was due to business related to National Assembly and party duties.
He disclosed that he had been directed by the NPP Leader, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to draft and prepare a manifesto for the party for the 2024 elections.
He said his responsibilities as chairman of the manifesto committee required intensive working sessions, including a meeting the day before the unveiling.
“The task that the Vice President assigned to me as chairman of the Manifesto Committee was to work with my team to draft a report for the Vice President. We worked on it on Monday, the day before the unveiling.”
“We had other discussions that needed to be included in the manifesto and we had to stay and work on those because Mr Bawumia needed such information for his regional tour a few days after the event.”
“I had already told my brother, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, why I cannot go,” he said.
He further alleged that the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutawum, was also serving as a Member of Parliament.
Mensah Bonsu noted that Adutowumu’s presence in Parliament was crucial to the deliberation of the National Service Institutions Bill, of which he was the proposing Minister.
“I was working in the office when my brother’s NAPO was announced. I was working in the office when I got a call from Congress asking me to come and support the National Service Authority Bill.”
“So I went to Parliament and met former Mayor Osei Ashibey, who is the Chief Executive of the National Service Secretariat, and he told me there was a problem with the bill and Senator Osei Owusu told him to call me and come and help.”
“Since the sponsoring minister for national service is Mr Adutowum, he was also supposed to attend parliament as the Minister of Education. Mr Bagbin was also busy with other matters, so he summoned Mr Osei Owusu to be present at the proceedings. When I arrived, I found that Mr Osei Owusu was chairing the meeting,” he alleged.
According to him, the Second Deputy Speaker of National Assembly and Member of Parliament for Bekwai Constituency, Mr Joseph Osei Owusu, was equally busy conducting parliamentary business.
“We used to sit and calculate bills and when I wanted to go to the toilet, Osei Asibey had to follow me because he thought I was running away.
“Mr Adutowumu had to be there for the National Service Bill but he could not attend because Mr Osei Owusu was also the chairman that day. I am yet to ask them but I am saying this based on what I have seen,” he added.
TWI News
NAPO was announced as Dr Bawumia’s running mate in Kumasi on June 9, 2024.
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