The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has criticised the Minority’s censure motion filed against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, Mr Richard Ahiagbah described the censure motion as a needless political exercise.

“It [Censure motion] is a needless political exercise they subjected all of us to…The engagement is a needless exercise bearing Article 82 (1) in mind, because the Majority had given a press conference which the President and party elders called them to a discussion and they have agreed,” he explained.

It would be recalled that on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, the Minority filed a censure motion to have the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta removed from office on grounds of mismanagement of the economy.

The allegations raised by the Minority are: Conflict of interest, unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund, illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament, fiscal recklessness, alarming incompetence and gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy.

Their action followed a call by 80 Majority Parliamentarians for the dismissal of the Finance Minister.

However, President Akufo-Addo in a meeting with the Majority MPs appealed to them to hold on with calls for the Minister’s dismissal until a conclusion is reached with the International Monetary Fund’s team for a programme.

The MPs subsequently backtracked on their demands after the meeting with the President and party executives.

Reacting to this, Mr Ahiagbah believes that the NDC MPs knowing the agreement that Majority MPs had had with the President should not have proceeded with the motion.

“You can almost certainly be assured that if you pass any censure motion, he [President] is not going to revoke the minister’s appointment."

Meanwhile, the censure motion against Finance Minister failed to meet the required number of votes required to succeed.

The motion, which was debated on Thursday and subsequently voted on, had only the Minority members being present to vote.

All 136 Minority MPs took part in the secret vote to pass the censure motion.

The Majority members walked out minutes before the voting commenced.

The NPP MPs described the Minority’s action as one in futility and not adhering to the Constitution as their numbers lack the constitutional mandate to form a quorum.

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin ruling on the vote said the Minority MPs did not meet the Constitutional threshold of 183 MPs, thus two-thirds of members of the House.

“In accordance with article 82 (1) which reads; Parliament may by a resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of all the MPs pass a vote of censure on the Minister for State. Following the terms of Article 82 (1) the vote is accordingly lost,” he said on the floor.