The Ranking Member on the Privileges Committee of Parliament, George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, has said Madam Sarah Adwoa Safo could not honour their meeting scheduled for Friday for the sake of the regional elections.
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) will from Friday, May 27 to May 29, 2022 hold its Regional Annual Delegates Conference across the country.
Officers would be elected into various positions at the conference to steer the affairs of the party into the 2024 elections and beyond.
It is against this background that Mr Ricketts-Hagan said Madam Adwoa Safo’s case hearing could not come off.
“MPs would not be available to give ears to her defence because they would be participating in the conference activities,” said the Ranking Member who is MP for Cape Coast South Constituency in the Central Region.
“So it was communicated to the clerk of the Privileges Committee to reach Adwoa Safo to reschedule her meeting.”
Mr. Ricketts-Hagan made this clarification on Angel FM’s Anopa Bofo morning show which was simulcasted on Angel TV on Friday.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Joy News on Thursday, Madam Adwoa Safo who is the representative of Dome-Kwabenya Constituents claimed that she was not served with an invitation to which she should respond.
She said, “as we speak, I don’t think I have received any such communication or service from Parliament and that is why I am still here [in the US]”.
According to her, she would return if she is “able to examine the conditions and circumstances” and they are favorable upon service.
But in his reaction to her claims, Mr Ricketts-Hagan said “as far as I know, Henry Quartey did not get back to anybody that he was going to come but the Clerk’s office were 100 per cent sure that he had received the information and he was going to appear, and he did. And my understanding is that it was the same with Hon. Adwoa Safo”.
The legislator indicated that the committee would investigate with the clerk’s office how they served her and whether she got back to them or not.
He also assured that going forward, his committee would make sure that the clerk’s office provides evidence that the Dome-Kwabenya MP cum Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection has been served and she is going to attend.
Madam Sarah Adwoa Safo is one of three MPs who are expected to answer to the Privileges Committee of Parliament for their absence from the House for 15 days.
According to the rules and regulations governing the activities of the law-making body, absenting oneself from meetings for 15 days leaves one liable to lose his or her seat, as it would be declared vacant by the Speaker of the House unless otherwise through fair hearing.
The other MPs to meet the committee include Greater Accra Regional Minister cum legislator for Ayawaso Central Constituency, Henry Quartey and Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong.
