Former President John Mahama has expressed excitement over the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin’s ruling declaring four parliamentary seats vacant.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential Candidate believes this is a good omen for the party going into the election.
The Speaker’s ruling follows a motion filed by former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, seeking to have the seats of four Members of Parliament declared vacant after they opted to contest the upcoming elections as independent candidates.
On the floor of the House on Thursday, October 17, the Speaker declared the three seats vacant.
This ruling means that Ghana’s hung parliament, which had previously given the governing NPP a slight advantage as the Majority side of the House with the support of Andrew Amoako Asiamah, an Independent Member of Parliament, will now tilt toward the opposition NDC.
Reacting to the development, the NDC’s flagbearer for the 2024 general elections, described it as historic and expressed optimism about the future of the party and the country at large.
He said that the NDC’s new majority status in Parliament is a positive sign to spearhead the party into victory in the upcoming December 7 general elections.
“So for me, God is even showing a sign of what is going to happen because even before we have cast one single ballot, the NDC has become the majority,” he said.
However, Mr Mahama cautioned that the party must solidify this position by performing well in the upcoming December 7 general elections.
“That is when the people of Ghana are going to cast their votes and I know that 7th December 2024 is going to be a watershed event that will change the course of Ghana’s history,” he said.
The former president also reflected on his campaign trail, saying that after engaging with citizens across 10 regions, the message is clear that “Ghana needs change.”
Mr. Mahama claimed that the NDC secured a parliamentary majority in the 2020 general elections. However, he alleged that the NPP “squeezed our hands and took four of the constituencies away from us using fraudulent means.”
“God works in mysterious ways and so based on the constituencies they took from us we got a hung parliament, 137-137 and they had one independent candidate so they declared themselves as majority.
“But what man has taken from you, God will restore to you. Can you imagine that in the twilight to the end of their administration, God has given the NDC back the majority it won in 2020, and even before we cast one ballot in the 2024 election, the NDC is the majority in Parliament. And so there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that NDC is winning the 2024 elections,” he added.
Source: myjoyonline.com