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You are ignorant - Asiedu Nketia tells NPP MP who called for his expulsion from Parliament

The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia has described as ignorant the call by the Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, Davis Ansah Opoku, who called for his expulsion from the public gallery during the vote to approve the 2022 budget on Friday, November 26, 2021.

Asiedu Nketia

Alban Bagbin was forced to suspend sitting for five minutes after the Majority side walked out in protest of the presence of Asiedu Nketia.

The Majority side insisted that Nketia, who was seated in the public gallery of the chamber, should be walked out of the house in the same manner that the Speaker asked the Marshall to walk out certain non-MPs of the House.

The Minority side fought back and said Asiedu Nketia was not going anywhere.

The standoff degenerated into chaos on the floor of the house and the Majority side then staged a walkout.

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The lopsided house later reconvened for the business of the house to continue.

The budget was then rejected.

Members on the majority caucus argued that the action of the minority and the Speaker of Parliament breached provisions of the constitution and standing orders of the House, hence the motion for the approval of the House still holds.

The MP has explained why he ordered Asiedu Nketia to leave Parliament.

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He said Nketia had no business in the gallery because it was supposed to be out of bounds because of COVID-19 adding that his demand which eventually led to a walkout by the majority MPs was not unparliamentary.

He stated that "I am a Member of Parliament and I got into Parliament at a time when COVID was on the rise. Parliament took a decision that it was not going to allow people to sit in the gallery… for some time now people are not allowed into the gallery of Parliament even when we are sitting.

"Members of the public are not allowed into our gallery. So, how special is Asiedu Nketia that he is allowed to sit?"

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But Asiedu Nketia popularly known as General Mosquito reacting to the MP on Joy News accused him of being ignorant about the Standing Orders of Parliament adding that Ansah Opoku is not experienced as a lawmaker.

He said "I believe the guy who was shouting, he's been less than eight months in Parliament...I think he has no idea how Parliament runs at all, that is the impression I had because he should know, the various divisions, compartments, and so on (in Parliament)."

"What you call Parliament House, you have the floor, lobbies, and gallery – public and press gallery – so each of them is governed by rules as to who can be there and who cannot be there.

"You don't react to ignorance, he was insisting on non-existent rights, so I just enjoyed it and I don’t have anything to say about that. I believe that his own constituents and the elders of his party will call him to study the rules so that he does not embarrass the party," Nketia noted.

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