Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, a Member of Parliament representing the Tema West constituency and a member of the New Patriotic Party, has made it clear that he has no regrets about his actions of snatching ballot papers during the vote counting for the speakership elections on January 7, 2021.
In an interview on the Oyerepa Breakfast Show, Ahenkorah explained that he believed if the National Democratic Party’s (NDC) candidate, Alban Bagbin, had won the elections, it would have posed significant challenges for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in terms of policy formulation.
Ahenkorah said, his thoughts have manifested and the NPP is currently facing strong opposition in parliament.
He said many of his fellow party members who initially disapproved of his actions have now come to regret their stance.
The MP revealed that his decision to snatch the ballot papers was driven by his unwavering love, dedication, commitment, and loyalty to the NPP.
“A lot of my colleagues did not understand why I snatched the ballots but today they turn to hail me. A lot of them say if they knew that things were going to be so tough in parliament as we experience today, what happened to you wouldn’t have happened to you. A whole party, NDC parliamentarians mostly oppose our policies in parliament with the support of the Speaker of Parliament. How is that possible?”, He quizzed.
“So what happened there was my dedication and commitment to NPP and my loyalty. Even though I don’t think I’m going to do it again, I don’t regret doing it.” The legislator added.
The Tema West lawmaker again indicated that any ruling party needs to get a Speaker of Parliament (SP) coming from the party and not from its biggest opponent. This is because having the Speaker alone is better than having a hundred parliamentarians.
“If you have one SP it is better than having 100 parliamentarians.” He said.
Background
On January 7, 2021, during the speakership elections, Carlos Ahenkorah made a shocking move by snatching some ballot papers. This incident occurred after the votes for Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, the NPP candidate, had been counted. Ahenkorah, who had been elected as an MP, seized the ballot papers from the Clerks-at-table and swiftly fled the scene.
Prior to this unexpected turn of events, members of the NDC were in high spirits, singing and celebrating what they believed to be a victory for their Speaker-candidate, Alban Bagbin, in the secret ballots.
However, Ahenkorah’s actions did not go unnoticed. Muntaka Mohammed, the MP-elect for Asawase, immediately pursued him and successfully apprehended him, retrieving the stolen ballot papers.
Source: Oyerepafmonline.com / Joseph Marfo
