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The nonattendance of the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Sarah Adwoa Safo to Parliament, seems to be taking a new turn following the impact of her actions on the party in government.
The Majority Caucus in Parliament, New Patriotic Party (NPP), on which ticket she has been elected as the representative of the people of Dome-Kwabenya in the House, has been determined to pass the Electronic Transfer Bill known as the E-levy.
Friday January 28, 2022, was set for the Party to vote on the bill after several failed attempts earlier, but again the plans of the caucus fell through by virtue of her absence.
Considering the fact that the 8th Parliament is a hung one splitting the seats into halves–137 each for both NPP and National Democratic Congress (NDC)–and an independent member who has agreed to do business with the party in government, the NPP needs its numbers to get its plans rolling.
However, a reduction in number by one could crush their dream as was almost the case when Sarah Adwoa Safo failed to show up in the chamber on the Friday when the NDC had its numbers.
It would be recalled that on Tuesday November 30, 2021 the Minority Caucus leveraged on her long absence from the country to accuse her of impersonation in a bid to undo the passing of the “Agyenkwa” 2022 budget, though it was passed in the absence of the NDC MPs.
This was after some Minority Caucus members alledged that a woman had been in the chamber pretending to be the Dome-Kwabenya MP at a time when Parliament needed to decide on the adoption or rejection of the budget.
The situation could have dire consequences on the party if it was proven to be true that indeed the Gender Minister was impersonated.
However, her actions, particularly her absence from the country–including the recent–is believed to have been steered by her personal interests as reliable sources have said.
Accordingly, Sarah Adwoa Safo who is also a former Minister of State in charge of Procurement, has allegedly demanded from the NPP to be reinstated as the Deputy Majority Leader, a role she played in the 7th Parliament.
That demand on the table, she has reportedly refused to return to Ghana to participate in the e-levy processes before Parliament, until her wish is granted.
But the bill, being one of the topmost priorities of the Akufo-Addo led government as a means to generate revenue for developmental projects, some MPs are calling on the Speaker of the House, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, to declare her seat vacant.
Meanwhile, this website is also reliably informed that the MP, since flying to the United States, has changed her address rendering her unreachable.
