Mpraeso MP Rejects Haruna Iddrisu’s Call for Independent NPP MPs to Resign

Davis Ansah Opoku, the Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, has firmly dismissed a recent appeal by Haruna Iddrisu, the former Minority Leader, urging New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs who plan to run as independent candidates in the upcoming elections to vacate their parliamentary seats.

Iddrisu, while campaigning in the Tamale North constituency, suggested that the Minority caucus could invoke Article 97 (1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution to compel the Speaker of Parliament to declare these seats vacant. According to Iddrisu, this provision indicates that MPs who either resign from their party or stand as independent candidates risk losing their seats.

The statement has ignited discussions within political circles, particularly around its implications for NPP MPs who intend to run independently.

In response, Opoku Ansah argued that Iddrisu’s proposal is unconstitutional. He emphasized that the MPs in question have not officially resigned from the NPP, a necessary criterion for invoking Article 97 (1)(g). According to Ansah, these MPs still hold their affiliations with the party, thereby invalidating Iddrisu’s argument.

“Haruna Iddrisu and the NDC side should not trigger any such clause in Parliament,” Opoku Ansah stated. “With less than three months to an election, it is important that we allow Ghanaians to make their decisions. An MP elected by the people, not by the party, should not lose their seat simply for deciding to contest on a different ticket in a future election.”