The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has strongly criticized the New Patriotic Party majority caucus in Parliament for blaming the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the delays regarding the presentation of the government’s mini-budget.

During a parliamentary session on Thursday, December 19, the First Deputy Majority Whip, Habib Iddrisu, accused the minority NDC of stalling progress by engaging in disputes over parliamentary leadership.

“We recalled parliament for this purpose, but we were busy fighting over who becomes the majority and minority. So tomorrow it will be done,” he stated.

However, in response, the Speaker firmly shut down the accusation, describing it as baseless and unfair.

He clarified that the delay was not caused by the NDC minority but by other reasons he refrained from publicly disclosing.

“Because you boycotted sitting yesterday and two days ago in my absence, you made statements as if the delay was caused by the Speaker or the minority. That is untrue,” he stated.

The Speaker further warned the majority against pushing him to reveal details that could harm the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The mini-budget, a critical document for addressing pressing fiscal matters, has faced heightened scrutiny as delays continue. Finance Minister, Dr Amin Adam has reportedly been absent from parliamentary proceedings for four consecutive days, leaving the budget for the first quarter of the coming year unresolved. 

This has caused significant concern among Members of Parliament, with some accusing the government of neglecting its fiscal responsibilities during this critical transitional period.

Minority Leader, Dr Ato Forson expressed frustration at the Finance Minister’s absence and urged him to fulfill his constitutional duties warning that failure to present the mini-budget promptly would have serious legal and political consequences.