Oforikrom MP, Dr. Emmanuel Marfo, has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the leadership of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), accusing them of ignoring concerns raised by Members of Parliament (MPs). He believes this disregard significantly contributed to the party’s poor performance in the December 7 general elections.
Speaking in an interview with Adom FM, Dr. Marfo criticized President Akufo-Addo for refusing to act on the demands of over 90 NPP MPs who called for the removal of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta. He emphasized the role MPs play in ensuring the party’s electoral successes, arguing that their concerns should not have been dismissed.
“In my case, I was among those who went knocking from house to house. It was our collective effort that brought the President to power,” he said.
Dr. Marfo highlighted the unique connection MPs maintain with their constituents, contrasting their constant on-the-ground presence with that of ministers and CEOs, who rarely engage directly with the public.
“We attend the funerals, we sit around with the boys at the various ‘bases.’ People see us, they approach us because we represent them. We hear what the people on the ground are saying. When they complain about the economy and how the Finance Minister’s policies are hurting them, you must listen to us,” he stressed.
The MP lamented the NPP leadership’s failure to address these issues, accusing them of not being bold enough to confront the President.
“Why couldn’t the NPP leadership look the President in the eye and tell him the truth? If the party is not strong enough to do that, it risks ending up in a ditch,” he warned.
Reflecting on the party’s electoral losses, Dr. Marfo noted that the backlash from the public was inevitable.
“After the woeful performance in the elections, people are now throwing back at us the very complaints we raised earlier about the party and the actions of certain ministers,” he said.
He dismissed claims that the MPs’ call for Ken Ofori-Atta’s removal was driven by personal grudges.
“You cannot tell me that about 90 MPs were so stupid that they didn’t know what they were doing when they demanded Ken’s removal,” he asserted.
Dr. Marfo argued that if the concerns had come from only a handful of MPs, it might have been excusable to ignore them. However, he said disregarding the overwhelming majority was a grave miscalculation.
“More than half of us complained, and that should have been taken seriously,” he concluded.
