Former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has criticised President John Dramani Mahama’s public request for Parliament to withdraw the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) Amendment Bill.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Thursday, he argued that the President should have engaged the Majority Leader privately on the bill's withdrawal rather than in public.

"If the President had any indication or issues about the bill, he ought to have engaged the Majority Leader privately, rather than making it public,” he stressed.

Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu explained that the President works closely with the Majority Leader, who is responsible for steering government business in Parliament.

For that reason, he said, any concerns the President had about the bill should have been addressed internally.

According to the former Majority Leader, the bill establishing the Office of the Special Prosecutor emanated from the Presidency, making private consultation even more crucial.

This, he explained, is because once Parliament passes the bill, it will still require the President’s assent.