Minority Chief Whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of trying to foist the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Ghanaians despite a significant percentage of party members rejecting him.

In a fiery exchange with the Deputy Majority Whip, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, he accused her and other NPP MPs of not voting for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in the NPP Presidential primaries.

This he said was contrary to their sudden conviction that the Vice President was the man to lead Ghanaians to a better future.

The Vice President won the NPP primaries with 61.43% of all votes cast.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament during the 2024 budget debate, he said, “So I’m saying that the person who read the budget you didn’t want him to read the budget. The Vice President who wanted to be your candidate, almost 40% of you rejected him yet you want him to be the one giving us a future.

“In fact, he lost in your constituency Honourable Lydia, so what is your point? The vice president lost in your constituency so I don’t know what you’re standing up to do. Did he not lose in your constituency? He lost; he lost in Honourable Afenyo’s constituency.

“You and him didn’t vote for him. As for majority leader he probably voted for him because he wanted to be running mate but you didn’t vote for him,” he said.

Reacting to the statements made by the Minority Chief Whip, Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said the opposition MPs should steer clear of conjectures and stick to the budget debate.

He denied accusations of campaigning to be selected for the running mate position.

“Yesterday my colleague the former minority leader was saying that I am concentrating on my running mate campaign. Mr. Speaker let me say it here that there is no contest for the position of a running mate. I’m not involved in campaigning for running mate position.

“It should be loud and clear. My colleagues should also not be involved in conjectures. He says I probably voted for the vice president in my constituency, what has that got to do with the budget?” he said.