Ben Abdallah Banda
Ben Abdallah Banda

One of the defeated incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) in the just-ended New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries, Ben Abdallah Banda, has expressed shock at the turnout of events.

The shocked MP is therefore wondering if their defeat was a way delegates want to punish MPs for the sins of the ruling government.

“Are the party faithful visiting their anger on the party on the incumbent Members of Parliament? It is a rhetorical question that needs not to be answered.

Otherwise, I don’t know why chairpersons of various committees of Parliament who day-in-day-out work tirelessly and assiduously for the party and for the institution of parliament could lose their bids to go for another term.

Ben Abdallah Banda, MP for Offinso South

Mr Abdallah who doubles as the Chairman of Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in Parliament inquired in an interview on Accra-based radio station, Citi FM, monitored by adomonline.com.

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“I am surprised, but just as I have said, that is the choice of the faithful, so we have to respect the decision,” he said.

Mr Abdallah was also of the view that the workload in parliament could have probably affected the impact of their presence in their various constituencies.

“I know that all the chairpersons of the various committees in Parliament lost and one of the contributory factors is because you have to be in Parliament at all material times and [also] be able to deliver on the Floor of Parliament.

“That, to a large extent, took away some of the time we should have had at the constituency,” he admitted.

Some prominent MPS who double as chairpersons of various committees, like New Juaben South MP, Mark Assibey-Yeboah and Daniel Okyem Aboagye lost in their various constituencies.