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Majority leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has revealed how President Akufo-Addo’s brother, Bumpty Akufo-Addo and Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko called him to shoot down the censure motion against Ken Ofori-Atta in Parliament.
According to him, the two had called him to discuss the censure motion by the minority against the finance minister and he assured them that he will be able to handle it.
He said even though Gabby failed to call him via his phone but rather through that of his deputy, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, he assured them he will be able to knock it down.
“I don’t know what Gabby Otchere-Darko holds against me, I was in parliament when he (Gabby) called with Akufo-Addo’s brother Bumpty and we spoke. For whatever reason, he didn’t call me on my phone but through my Deputy leader’s phone and I spoke to them about what I was doing to manage what we had. So, I told them to leave that to me and told them I know how to manage it because I knew the NDC censure, I think technically we can knock it down, so he should allow me to handle it.”
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was speaking in a recent interview with Kumasi-based Sompa FM, where he expressed anger over some allegations leveled against him by Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.
According to the Member of Parliament for Suame, Mr Otchere-Darko has wrongly accused him of being the mastermind behind some NPP MPs demanding the sacking of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
“From nowhere, we hear Gabby Otchere-Darko on his Asaase Radio station accusing me of instigating what was happening, [but] for what? What do I stand to gain from that?” he retorted.
The majority leader questioned the authority of the finance minister’s cousin for levelling such allegations against him.
“There are people who would rather want to cause disintegration while you are committed to integrating. But now this has brought about another sense of anger. That Gabby Otchere-Darko—who does he think he is? I serve Akufo-Addo, and I serve the party as well as the government… when we talk about the government itself, what is your locus to be accusing me of being an instigator?” the majority leader questioned.
The majority leader noted that it rather took his intervention to instill calm when a group of MPs in the NPP made public demands for the dismissal of the finance minister.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who also doubles as the Minister for Parliamentary Business, further accused Gabby of sponsoring a contestant against him in the 2016 primaries of the NPP, noting that he failed in his agenda.
“You (Gabby) are the same person who wrote something for someone to publish on his radio station that I will lose if I contest for re-election, hence my saying that I will not contest again. Gabby Otchere-Darko, have you contested an election before? They are the same people who sponsored people to contest against me in 2016, it didn’t work for them.”
According to the majority leader, Gabby Otchere-Darko accused him of instigating calls for the finance minister’s sack just so the leader of government business in parliament can be considered as a replacement for the underfire Ken Ofori-Atta.
But according to Gabby, he has never made any such allegations against the majority leader.
“I have listened to excerpts of the interview of Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, on Sompa Radio, claiming “I had gone on Asaase Radio to allege that he was the ringleader behind the NPP MPs calling for the resignation of the Finance Minister…
“I have since sent him a message on this, denying same. But, I consider it necessary to also put my side out publicly.
“I have said no such thing on Asaase Radio or any other radio station or media house, whether on-air, online, or in print, either directly or indirectly. Indeed, my position, so far, on this issue in Parliament within the Majority Caucus, has been to deliberately stay away from commenting on it publicly,” Gabby Otchere-Darko stated categorically on November 15.
Watch the video below for the Majority Leader’s comment
