The Suame Member of Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who was serving as the Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, has resigned from his position.
This comes after a meeting with President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House where they discussed a disagreement between the executive and Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu over an attempt to make changes to the party’s front bench in Parliament.
Despite his resignation, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has been appointed as the chairman of the Manifesto Committee of the Party.
It’s worth noting that the majority caucus, led by the first deputy speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, had opposed the decision to remove Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu as the Majority Leader, making his resignation a controversial move.
The article mentions that the new standing orders of parliament state that any changes to the leadership can only be made by the caucus.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, argued that although the definition of “Majority Leader” in the new standing orders means a person chosen by the majority side of the house, the party still reserves the right to determine who leads its Parliamentary wing.
This argument was rejected by the first deputy speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu.
Some members of the majority caucus had threatened to rebel if the decision to push out the former leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, was carried out. It is unclear whether their position will change following his resignation.
