Andrew Amoako Asiamah, MP-elect for Fomena
Andrews Asiamah Amoako, the Independent Member of Parliament for Fomena, has written to the Speaker of Parliament to officially notify him of his decision to align with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucus.
Following his dismissal from the NPP and subsequent win of the Fomena seat as an independent candidate, Mr Asiamah has been in the spotlight in recent times.
At the inauguration of the 8th Parliament, Mr Asiamah was appointed 2nd Deputy Speak of Parliament.
Letter
In a letter addressed to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on Wednesday, Mr Asiamah stated: “I, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, an Independent Member of Parliament for Fomena Constituency, and now 2nd Deputy Speaker for same Parliament, do hereby declare that I shall, for the purpose of transacting business in the house, associate with the NPP Caucus in the Eighth Parliament.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I do hereby affirm that I shall cooperate and collaborate with the NPP Caucus in the 8th Parliament,” he concluded.
It is believed that this letter from Mr Asiamah will help decide who sits where in Parliament.
Not yet
However, the leader of the NDC caucus in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, says the formal declaration of Mr Asiamah to do business with the NPP side does not make that side the majority in the House.
According to him, the choice of words of the Fomena MP does not increase the number of seats the NPP occupies in Parliament.
He said any claim that Mr Asiamah has joined the NPP will mean that he has to vacate his seat in Parliament and a by-election held in that constituency.
“It (the letter) did not state, and it did not say that ‘I will join or that I am part of the NPP’,” Haruna Iddrisu said at a press conference yesterday.
He said the official records of Parliament still take account of 137 seats for both NDC and NPP and one seat for an independent candidate.
“Advisedly and wisely, he is not seeking to join a political party and therefore nobody should do an easy mathematics of a 137 plus one. ‘I will cooperate, or I will collaborate’ does not mean I am joining, or I am crossing over because it has its own constitutional implications, which probably will require that a by-election to be conducted, if he was to join a political party,” Haruna Iddrisu indicated.
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