Bolgatanga East MP Dr Dominic Ayine says the unexpected changes in the Minority leadership in Parliament defeats the principles and structures of the party.

Addressing the media in Parliament on Thursday, Dr Ayine said the letter issued to announce the reshuffling was legally defective since it did not have the approval of the National Executive Committee of the party.

The former Deputy Attorney-General stressed that the vehement opposition to the decision from some members does not stem from hatred or dislike for the new leaders but rather the unconventional manner in which the decision was taken.

“I am saying that from a legal point of view, it is not a letter of the party. If there has to be a letter from the party, then there has to be a meeting of NEC, the matter has to be tabled and a decision taken and the principal officers can then be instructed to implement that decision.

“Some of us are fighting on the basis of principle. We think that what has happened is an affront to the dignity of the Caucus, it is not about personalities.”

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday announced a reshuffle of its leadership in Parliament. The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu and the Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, both with close to 20 years of experience in Parliament were all changed as leaders of the Caucus.

A letter signed by the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia announced Dr Cassiel Ato Forson as the new Minority Leader with Emmanuel Kofi-Armah Buah as the Deputy Minority Leader.

MP for Adaklu, Kwame Governs Agbodza was also named as the party’s new Minority Chief Whip, taking over from Asawase MP, Muntaka Mubarak.

This decision was berated by many supporters of the party including Tamale Central MP, Murtala Mohammed who questioned the timing and relevance of the decision.

Some supporters of the party in Tamale were also unhappy with the changes and called on the party to rescind its decision.

However, Johnson Asiedu Nketia in an interview with JoyNews justified the decision. He said the change forms part of the reorganisation process to help the party capture political power during the 2024 elections.

“We started re-organization of our structures to be able to position ourselves to fight election 2024…We are done largely with all the constituencies, we have done regional elections and we just completed our national election, the next is to look at our leadership in Parliament. That is what we have just done,” he said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the former Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak says the leadership of the Caucus was never consulted ahead of the changes in the frontbench.

“At no such meeting was there any agenda to discuss this. It is clear that it is a letter, yes, was written by the General Secretary but the decision may just be just the decision of a few people in the party,” he noted at a press conference on Thursday.

A meeting between the Minority and the party leadership has been scheduled for January 31 to settle the differences arising from the reshuffle.