Muntaka is massaging the truth - Suhuyini

Alhassan Suhuyini, the Member of parliament for Tamale North has suggested that the chief whip of parliament is “managing information” related to the bribery allegation against the Appointment Committee.

Mahama Ayariga had earlier indicated on Accra-based Radio Gold that Mr Agyarko, then Energy Minister-designate, had attempted to bribe the members of the Appointments Committee of parliament with GHc3000 each, in a bid to lure them to approve him as the Energy Minister.

The NDC Member of Parliament said they (the minority) received the money thinking it was sitting allowance for being part of the Appointments Committee only to be told it was coming from the minister designate.

He said they rejected the money and asked that the money be returned to him.

The Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Mr Osei Owusu, the minority chief whip in parliament, Mubarak Muntaka, and the Energy Minister have denied the claims.

Muntaka, a member of the minority in parliament and a Member of Parliament for Asawase in the Ashanti region, strongly denied receiving money from Osei-Owusu and that he was at a loss as to why Ayariga would make up such an accusation.

But speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, Mr Suhuyini, who has been solidly behind Mr Ayariga on the claim said Alhaji Muntaka is only trying to massage the truth in the bribery scandal.

“What I want to put on record is that this is about who is lying and who is telling the truth. This is about responsibility and perhaps the position of our chief whip. Remember the position of the chief whip in parliament is to ensure that members of parliament are catered for. Their welfare matters are his responsibility. And as a leader, he is going to have more information, you tend to know better.

“And perhaps you tend to understand the repercussions that other members may not have the opportunity to. So in circumstances like this the leader may decide to take an unpopular position, but it does not make him a bad leader. And that has to be established moving forward. And to a large extent I understand where Alhaji Muntaka is coming from. I think he is doing his job as expected of him...he is managing the information.

“He was managing the information, and by way of managing the information, he did not categorically say Ayariga was lying,” Suhuyini indicated.

Meanwhile, Mahama Ayariga, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Alhassan Suhuyini have petitioned the Speaker of Parliament Mike Oquaye to probe the matter.

In a joint petition to the Speaker, the three MPs said: “We jointly request you to carry out an internal enquiry into the veracity of the claims made by us in the allegation of attempted bribery of the Minority Members of the Appointments Committee of Parliament by a ministerial nominee.

“We, the three (3) Members of Parliament, will subject ourselves fully to the processes of the enquiry.”