2 new MPs sworn-in

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
Alhaji Collins Dauda and Dr Francis Bawaana Dakura were yesterday sworn in as the Members of Parliament (MPs) of Asutifi South in the Brong Ahafo Region and Jirapa in the Upper West Region respectively by Mrs Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, Speaker of Parliament.
The parliamentary results of the Asutifi South Constituency were delayed because of an electoral dispute resulting in an injunction being placed on it by the Sunyani High Court.
A final decision by the Supreme Court paved the way for the Electoral Commission to declare the results.
Dr Dakura was elected in a bye-election on April 7, 2009 following the death of the incumbent MP, Mr Edward Salia.
When the Speaker read the names of the new MPs before they were sworn in, it was met with loud ‘hear, hear’ by MPs from both the Majority and Minority sides.
The Speaker informed the House that she had received communication from the Electoral Commission declaring the two as winners of the elections held in their constituencies.
She, therefore, went ahead to swear the two into office and afterwards welcomed them to the House.
Alhaji Dauda told the Daily Graphic that he was relieved that the electoral dispute had finally been put to rest.
He thanked his constituents for renewing his mandate and promised to work hard to ensure that their needs were provided to justify the confidence reposed in him, saying there were no differences between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and called on his constituents to bury their differences now that the elections were over.
For his part, Dr Dakura expressed his gratitude to his constituents for reposing their confidence in him and said he would work hard for the people to realise the benefits of his election.
“I feel humbled,” he said, and explained that his first day in Parliament had shown that there was not much difference between the two major parties in the country.
With the swearing-in of the two, the NDC has increased its majority to 115, half of the 230 seats in Parliament, while the NPP still has a Minority of 107 seats, the People’s National Convention (PNC) -two, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) - one, and four Independent MPs.
The two PNC MPs and one Independent MP have joined the Majority while the remaining three Independent MPs and the single CPP MP are in the camp of the Minority.
The House now has 229 members with the electoral dispute in the Akwatia Constituency in the Eastern Region yet to be determined.
Welcoming the MPs to the two-day special meeting, Mrs Bamford-Addo commended them for their prompt response to the invitation and urged them to work hard to ensure that the unfinished business, as a result of which they had been recalled, were dealt with within the two days.
The special meeting will also be used to approve the proposed formula for the sharing of the District Assemblies Common Fund, the distribution of the subsidies to be paid to Licensed District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes for 2009 and formula for the distribution of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), which were laid yesterday.