Managing News Editor of the Daily Dispatch Newspaper, Ben Ephson, has called on the leadership of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to take a conclusive decision on the Member of Parliament for the Dome-Kwabenya constituency, Sarah Adwoa Safo.
Speaking in an interview with Evans Mensah on Top Story on Thursday, the pollster indicated that, the continuous absence of Adwoa Safo in Parliament poses a huge threat to the fortunes of the party.
Mr Ephson said the legislator’s posture should not be condoned and therefore called for her replacement if her conduct persists.
“Clearly if the records there at Parliament show that she has absented herself without permission or health reasons, I think somebody should trigger that and the party should sack her for a by-election to be held. It’s going to be very difficult for her to win as an independent candidate, unlike the situation in the Ashanti Region. She won the NPP primaries by eight; single eight votes. Not eighty, eight votes.
“That is a relatively safe seat for the NPP. So she can decide that she dares the party. If there’s proof of days without excuse of health reasons, they should ask her. And she can decide to go independent and be a second independent candidate.
“There’s no way she’s going to win that seat as an independent candidate. That’s a relatively safe NPP seat, and she won the party’s primaries by eight votes, against Mike Oquaye Jnr,” Ben Ephson stated.
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He also added that “Well, I think she brought proof of some medical condition. But I think that she crossed the line of political decency and comradeship.
“I think the President should sack her and if she has not fulfilled the rules for being absent for these number of days, they should sack her; have a by-election and she can contest as independent and she comes to Parliament and perhaps vote for NDC. So they should call her bluff and sack her from Parliament. She’s shown disrespect to the party that brought her to power,” he said.
The comments by Mr Ephson follow reports that the Dome-Kwabenya MP is using her seat as a bargaining chip to frustrate government business. A livid New Juaben South MP, Michael Okyere Baafi, who made the allegation, said the leadership in Parliament is also evasive when it comes to her issues.
“All the problems the government is facing are attributable to Adwoa Safo. Clearly, her intention and posture show that she wants to sabotage NPP,” he said in an interview on Kumasi-based Hello FM on Thursday.
He also revealed how they had to beg Miss Safo on countless times to come to Parliament due to their limited numbers. Knowing her critical role in getting government bills passed in Parliament, the New Juaben South MP said Adwoa Safo has decided to use that to frustrate the government.
“She said she will not come to Parliament if she is not given the Deputy Majority Leader position. All 136 NPP MPs are always in Parliament except for Adwoa Safo. One person cannot hold the party to ransom,” he added.
Mr Baafi, therefore, urged madam Safo to relinquish her seat if she is no more interested in serving her nation.
MP for the Assin North constituency, Kennedy Agyapong, has also criticised her behaviour and urged her to demonstrate more collaboration for the good of the party.
According to him, the NPP should not allow certain individuals to grow into ‘thin gods’ within the party.