At the New Ningo D/A Basic School B polling station in the Ningo-Prampram constituency, two individuals have been apprehended for their attempt to disrupt the ongoing voting process.
Per reports from Citinews, the police swiftly intervened and arrested the two individuals to prevent the situation from escalating.
The arrested individuals were allegedly persuading delegates to vote for their preferred candidate at the New Ningo D/A Basic School B polling station.
Incumbent Sam George is facing strong competition from Michael Kwetey Tetteh, who narrowly lost in the 2019 parliamentary primaries.
Despite the challenge, Sam George expressed confidence that the delegates would re-elect him for a third term in the 2024 elections.
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, is optimistic of a clear victory in the National Democratic Congress’ primaries happening today.
Incumbent MP Sam George and businessman Michael Tetteh Kwetey are competing for the position.
The voting process started at 8 a.m., with an expected total of 1675 delegates participating.
Ahead of the elections, Mr Nartey George said “resounding victory. This is going to be one of the best elections I’ve had.”
The MP has been a loud advocate for the anti-LGBT bill currently in parliament, and according to him, he represents the light and the light will prevail over darkness.
“I am fighting for the protection of our culture, our values and to make sure that our children are protected and that is what I represent. The other side cannot speak to these matters because for them their hands are tainted.
“They are in bed with all manner of people. Like I said, Saturday will be a clear testament to everybody in this country that the forces of light will prevail over the forces of darkness.”
Ningo Prampram MP, Samuel Nartey George, has told former Finance Minister Dr Kwabena Duffuor, who is campaigning to be elected flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), that former President John Dramani Mahama is not his match in the race for the NDC presidential candidate ahead of the 2024 elections.
Sam George stated that Mr. Mahama was a Vice President and President of Ghana who accomplished a lot, in contrast to Dr. Duffuor, who served as Finance Minister under the Mills/Mahama administration.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer hopeful, Dr Kwabena Duffuor
Sam George said on Tv3 on Monday, May 8, that even if Dr Duffuor wins, he will depend largely on Mr Mahama’s successes to campaign in the 2024 general elections.
“In the very unlikely event, in the 0.0001per cent probability chance that he becomes the flagbearer of the NDC, whose records is he going to campaign on? Is it not John Mahama’s records? Mr Duffuor has no record. He was the Minister in the government when John Mahama was the Vice President, Monkeys play by sizes. he cannot compare himself with Former President Mahama.
“President Mahama has a track record as president, he has a track record as an appointee of Mr Mahama’s government because Mr Mahama and President Mills formed the government and appointed him.
“Everything he has achieved or claimed to have achieved was at the direction and behests of Prof Mills and Mr Mahama,” Sam Goerge who is also seeking reelection as lawmaker said.
John Dramani Mahama, a former President of Ghana and a presidential aspirant for the NDC
He added “When it comes to records, Mr Mahama took over the reins of government at a time when we had only one oil field and bequeathed three oil fields to this government.
“In the area of education, Mr Mahama started construction of one hundred and twenty-three blocks, of Community Day Senior High Schools, forty-five of them were completed before he left office, and the rest were at various stages of completion.
“Under President Mahama you saw universities built. If you are talking about President Mahama as vice president and as president, you have the University of Health and Allied Sciences in the Volta Region, the University of Energy and Natural Resources in the then Brong Ahafo Region then you have the university in Somanya that President Mahama found the money for.”
The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has expressed shock about the constituency youth organizer in Kyebi, the hometown of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, being named among the key players in unlawful small-scale mining in the area.
Sam George was reacting to the report authored by a former Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, on galamsey which disclosed that President Akufo-Addo’s yard was partially excavated by the constituency youth organizer who was looking for gold.
“But you know what is very telling, and it is the stuff of Hollywood fiction but in Ghana it is our reality that the president’s own residence in Kyebi, his garden was dug up…Portions of President Akufo-Addo’s garden was dug up in search of gold by the constituency youth organizer,” he said.
In the report, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng listed various powerful individuals from the nation who were complicit in the threat and meddled with the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), of which he served as Chair.
The outspoken MP, appalled by some of the revelations in the report, while speaking on the issue on The Key Point on TV3, questioned the use of security, emphasizing that the president’s home is a security zone thus needed to be guarded at all cost.
“Where was security? The president’s home in his hometown at Kyebi must be a security zone. Where was his security that his garden got dug up by his own youth organizer searching gold and the president didn’t know about it? And then Frimpong-Boateng had to go and get a bulldozer and excavator to go and reclaim the land and revegetate the president’s garden so that the president can come home and have a garden. Jesus Christ!”
The legislator stressed that the report should not be taken on the surface, noting that the issue must be dealt with, with all seriousness.
He also criticised the former head of national security, Captain (rtd) Edmund Kojo Koda, accusing him of being careless and supporting perpetrators when he was supposed to protect the country from the canker.
In his words, “The persons who have been mentioned…and you see Frimpong-Boateng’s report why you cannot take it as a literary piece of work but as something serious. It’s the kinds of names he mentioned. Captain Koda is head of national security. He is literally responsible for the president’s security. Excavators are arrested doing galamsey, doing illegal mining and Captain Koda calls the police station in the Eastern region where the excavators that were seized were sent…and he orders the police to release the excavators because the persons whose excavators it is, is another MP, a sitting MP who is his brother. So familial benefit over national good.”
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has demanded that government excludes pension funds from its latest planned debt restructuring deal.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has formally written to the Board of Trustees of Pension Funds.
He noted that the revised proposal is expected to adequately compensate pension funds for the value of their current holdings while easing the government’s cash flow concerns in the years to come.
Reacting to this, Mr Nartey George stated that it is unacceptable that government seeks to torment Ghanaians, particularly when it has already subjected them to torture while undertaking its Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
Speaking on TV3 on Monday, he also accused the “wicked” government of stealing from the public purse.
“They have raped the public purse. They have stolen the purse, people lost money in financial clean up, debt exchange and now you are going for pensions funds and you say we shouldn’t talk,” he said.
“This is a wicked, clueless and incompetent government,” the Ningo-Prampram MP added.
The proposed offer entails exchanging current Treasury Bond, ESLA Bond, and Daakye Bond holdings for a selection of the currently outstanding new bonds. These bonds, issued in February 2023, mature in 2027 and 2028, respectively, and feature an average coupon of 8.4% with a ratio of 1.15x, thus entailing an increase in patrimonial value.
The proposal also includes an additional cash payment of 10% (strip coupon). The stream of coupons to be received as part of this proposal will, therefore, be 21% compared to the current 18.5% of the outstanding old bonds.
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has called the bluff of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over their intention to withhold power from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) come 2025.
Over the weekend, an NPP MP, Bryan Acheampong, the MP for Abetifi told party faithful that the Party would at all cost win the 2024 general elections.
He added that if the NDC dares to use threats and brute force in the 2024 election, the NPP will show them that “we have the men.”
Reacting to the Mr Acheampong’s statement, Mr Nartey George in a Facebook post over the weekend belittled the armor of the ruling party asking that “people who did a 6 month Military Course now threaten the NDC? I mean how?”
According to him, there is no need to get worried over “the rantings of scarecrows and hype simpletons into cult status.”
He has therefore challenged the NPP to stay true to their words.
“Can we go back to our old days? We are children of a REVOLUTION! Can we call these imposters out and dare them to try? Let’s stop glorifying folks who don’t deserve our attention and focus on what we have to do,” he said.
Meanwhile, the NDC want the Police to execute their mandate and invite the Abetifi MP in for questioning over his “treasonable” statement.
Sam Nartey George, the representative for Ningo-Prampram, has claimed that the adoption of the three new tax legislation on Friday in parliament was not approved by the minority.
He claims that it is necessary to examine the clerk of parliament about how they were able to obtain 137 despite Ahmed Tuferu’s absence due to an injury.
On the basis of the information the clerk gave the speaker, he continued, the majority won the vote with 137 votes, hence he was not to be held responsible.
According to him, the minority would not have had to participate in the vote process if the revenue bill had been approved by consensus.
“If we had acquiesced, we wouldn’t have gone through with the vote, we wouldn’t have accounted for our 136, we wouldn’t have challenged what appeared to be an error in counting. We are aware now that at the time we did the first count, Ahmed Tuferu was not in Parliament.
“There are two [majority] MPs who also walked in after the clerks had finished taking the vote from the majority side, so clearly, that vote shouldn’t have read 136, 137, but be that as it may, the Speaker only announces what it is presented to him.
“The clerks have a question to answer as to how they managed to get 137,” he is quoted to have said by CitiTV.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament has explained why the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nanton Constituency, Northern Region, Mohammed Hardi Tufeiru, was counted despite being absent in the chamber during voting.
According to him, the leaders reported that the MP was incapacitated by some physical infirmity, and based on this, the MPs, including doctor Dickson Adamako Kissi who accompanied the MP, were counted and accordingly recorded.
Mohammed Hardi Tufeiru is reported to have been involved in an accident, preventing him from participating in the head count vote in the chamber.
Following this development, the Minority Chief Whip, Govern Agbogza, quizzed the speaker about why he counted 137 from the majority side of the house despite the absence of two.
Govern Agbodza said, “When we took the last vote, you counted 137 for our colleagues. Some members of the public are aware that two of our colleagues were not physically present here, I think it will be appropriate for you to make a pronouncement so that the public knows why you still counted 137.”
In response, the speaker said, “…that is why I referred you to Order 114 rule 4, and asked you to read that order, but for the education of the public, I will read that order.
“Order 114 rule 4 says for members who are incapacitated by some physical infirmity from passing through the lobbies shall upon reporting their incapacitate to the speaker though the clerk, be counted and recorded accordingly in the house.
“We have some of our members that are incapacitated and what I did was to ask the clerk to go and physically see them, the state of incapacitating, whether they are of sound mind because we are dealing with the decision taken, voting before they can come to testify; which has been done and so they recorded and counted accordingly.”
Member of Parliament for the Ningo Prampram Constituency, Sam Nartey George, has criticized Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the United States of America, for her remark regarding LGBT+ (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, and questioning) activities in Ghana.
Sam George claims that the vice president is unqualified to instruct Ghanaians on human rights concerns because human rights abuses are widespread in her native nation. The vice president is now in Ghana to develop ties between Ghana and the United States.
He proceeded by suggesting that Americans should understand the legislative process in order to address such a difficult problem because human rights issues are prevalent in the US.
Speaking in an interview with Citi FM on March 28, 2023, Sam George added that the American people should visit Ghana and learn a few things about the lawmaking process from our parliament because they are willing to assist them.
“For the president to run away from his own government’s position on the Bill is unbelievable and worrying but let me assure you that we are not going to be cowed by the undemocratic comments of the American Vice President.
“The American people should be coming to Ghana to learn a few things from our Parliament when it comes to issues of lawmaking because we will be in a good position to help them,” he stressed.
He voiced unhappiness with President Akufo-Addo for his recent remarks regarding the LGBTQI+ bill when he spoke with Kamala Harris at a joint press conference.
President Akufo-Addo is quoted to have said that the anti-LGBT bill, which was championed by “only a hand full of MPs”, is currently being considered by Parliament.
Akufo-Addo added that even if the bill is passed, it will still have to be ratified by him.
It may be recalled that Kamala Harris spoke on the issue of LGBTQ+ activities while responding to a question at Jubilee House, in Accra, on Monday, March 27, Kamala Harris said that for her, the LGBTQ+ issue was one that bordered on human rights.
She added that every person has the right to live as he/she wants.
“Let me be clear about where we stand. First of all, for the American press who are here, you know that a great deal of work in my career has been to address human rights issues and equality issues across the board including those related to the LGBT community.
“And I feel very strongly about the importance of supporting freedom and supporting and fighting for equality among all people and that all people be treated equally.
“I will also say that this is an issue that we consider and I consider to be a human rights issue and that will not change,” she stressed.
Ghanaian politician and member of parliament for Ningo-Prampram constituency, Sam George, has criticized US Vice President Kamala Harris for her comments on LGBTQ rights in Ghana.
Speaking at a joint press conference with President Akufo-Addo on Monday, Harris expressed her support for the freedom and equality of all, including the LGBTQ community.
However, Sam George, a key proponent of Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ bill or the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, criticized Harris’s comments and suggested that she focus on school shootings in the United States rather than LGBTQ issues in Ghana.
“Mrs Kamala Harris should be the last person to come and talk about human rights in Ghana. In the country where she is a vice president, in the United States, a gun woman, a lady in her 20s walked into a school with (inaudible), shot and killed three school children and three adults. Those are the human rights of her country’s citizens that Kamala Harris should be worried about. ….on a daily basis, more people die from gun violence in the US than malaria kills in Africa or in Ghana. That should be of concern to her. Kamala Harris is a woman of colour, if she wasn’t a senator first or wasn’t the vice president of America, she most likely could have possibly been a victim like other Black Americans like George Floyd of white police brutality … Those are the human rights issues Kamala Harris should be worried about because those are what the people who voted for her in America are expecting her to focus on,” he said.
The Bill, which was introduced as a private bill by eight MPs in July 2021, aims to prohibit advocacy of same-sex or homosexual practices in the country and is under review in parliament.
Several local and international human rights advocacy groups have expressed concern about Bill’s existence and its supposed infringement on the rights of LGBTQ+ persons.
President Akufo-Addo, however, has disassociated himself from the bill. Speaking at the same press conference with Harris, he clarified that his administration has no hand in the proposition of the bill.
“The legislation was a legislation that is being proposed as a Private Members Bill. This is not an official legislation of the government, but it is one that is being mooted by a handful of private members” he said.
He added that “the bill is going through the Parliament [and] the Attorney has found it necessary to speak to the committee about it regarding the constitutionality or otherwise, of several of its provisions and the Parliament is dealing with it. “At the end of the process, I will come in, but in the meantime, the Parliament is dealing with it. And then I have no doubt that the Parliament of Ghana will show as it’s done in the past, first of all, its sensitivity to human rights issues as well as to the feelings of our population, and we’ll come out with the responsible response,” he added.
However, several legislators have expressed disappointment in both Harris’s and Akufo-Addo’s responses on the subject, with Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin declaring his support for the bill and suggesting that it will be passed.
“This thing should not be tolerated. That is undemocratic. That someone else would have to dictate as to what is good and what’s bad? It’s unheard of. Because we have decided to devalue ourselves and go begging? Come on. The Bill will be passed. This is a word to the President of the Republic, there is no way you can intervene,” he noted.
The divergent views of Harris and George on the issue of LGBTQ rights in Ghana highlight the complexity of the issue in the country. While international organizations advocate for the protection of LGBTQ+ rights as a fundamental human right obligation, proponents of the anti-LGBTQ bill argue that the promotion of LGBTQ rights is incompatible with Ghanaian culture and family values.
The debate also raises questions about the relationship between Ghana and the United States, particularly with regard to future US aid initiatives in the country. While President Akufo-Addo’s disassociation from the bill may alleviate concerns in this regard, the tension between the two countries on this issue is likely to continue.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen whether Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ bill will be successfully passed and how the country’s relationship with the United States will be affected.
LGBTQ+ and Africa
The legislation enjoys broad public support in Uganda
This stance is rooted in cultural and religious beliefs that view homosexuality as a deviation from societal norms.
However, over the years, there has been a growing movement to promote LGBTQ rights, but it has faced fierce opposition from conservative groups.
Uganda’s recent passing of a bill that criminalizes homosexuality is a clear indication of the country’s stance on the issue. The bill imposes life imprisonment for same-sex relations and criminalizes the promotion of LGBTQ rights. This move has been criticized by human rights organizations and Western countries who view it as a violation of fundamental human rights.
On the other hand, Ghana has taken a different approach to the LGBTQ issue. Although homosexuality is illegal in Ghana, the country has not been as aggressive in enforcing the law.
The country’s leaders have also shown some level of tolerance towards the LGBTQ community, with some leaders calling for a dialogue on the issue. However, conservative groups in Ghana have also been vocal in their opposition to the LGBTQ agenda.
The East African LGBTQ community has been under siege, with many facing discrimination and violence.
There have been reports of attacks on LGBTQ individuals and organizations, with some facing imprisonment and harassment.
This situation has forced many LGBTQ people to flee their countries and seek asylum in other countries.
Africa’s stance on the LGBTQ agenda is a complex issue, with cultural and religious beliefs playing a significant role. While some countries have taken a more tolerant approach, others have criminalized homosexuality, leading to a hostile environment for the LGBTQ community.
It is essential to promote dialogue on the issue and work towards promoting tolerance and acceptance for all individuals regardless of their sexual orientation.
On Friday, March 24, 2023, the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee will present its findings on the Promotion of Appropriate Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, better known as the Anti-LGBTQ+ bill, according to Bernard Ahiafor, the committee’s ranking member.
According to him, the committee has considered the concerns of Ghanaians after they received over 200 memoranda on the bill.
Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb’s Nimatu Yakubu Atouyese, he said, “…We are at a stage that the committee’s report and the recommended amendments on the LGBTQ+ bill is ready, so it likely tomorrow we will lay the report on the LGBTQ+ bill by which it has now moved from the committee to the plenary for consideration.
“So, it will be for a second reading then after the second reading when the bill passes through the second reading, then it moves to a consideration stage, the third reading, then it is passed. And will be referred to the president for accent in line with the constitutional imperatives.”
The Anti-LGBTQ+ bill sponsor, Sam George has hinted that the bill will be presented before the house in March 2023.
This comes after the committee on the bill met with the Attorney General Wednesday, February 22, 2023, after which he indicated that he was okay with the bill.
“I can see that we now have a light at the end of the tunnel. We have reached the end of the tunnel. And we’ll be bringing that report hopefully before the end of March or before this house rises and laying it before the house for debates on the floor. And so watch this space. We are in a good place. And we’ll be looking forward to you giving us all the support to pass this landmark bill, which will be the first of its kind. Yesterday the Attorney General made that point the first of its kind on African continent. Nigeria has a bill banning same sex marriages. That’s all. It doesn’t have all the other things our bill has. And so we’re excited about this,” Sam George added.
The founder of the Perez Chapel International was extoled by the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, in a Facebook post.
The MP prayed for God’s continuous anointing for the man of God.
Sam George, Archbishop Charles Agyinasare and two women close to the pastor
“Dear Archbishop Charles Agyinasare, as you mark your 61st birthday today, I join the body of Christ to celebrate you and your ministry. It is my prayer that the LORD continues to hold you in the hollow of His hands. May He cause you to do exploits like never before. May the oil upon your commission overflow,” Mr Nartey George wrote.
He referred to Archbishop Charles Agyinasare as his spiritual father, adding that he has been a blessing to him.
“Happy birthday, Daddy! I and the family love you dearly,” he added.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Charles Agyinasare has brought out a movie that reveals his journey from a life that was not pleasing to God to one that is worth emulating by every Christian.
The NDC will retire Patrick Boamah, the member of parliament (MP) for Okaikoi Central Constituency, according to Samuel George Nartey, MP for Ningo-Prampram.
He gave the assurance while speaking at the NDC Okaikoi Central Parliamentary Candidate and entertainment and media entrepreneur Abdulai Abu Sadiq’s campaign kickoff.
Sam George claims he was forced to declare his candidacy in the Okaikoi Central parliamentary contest this year because it was time for current MP Patrick Boamah to step down.
“I have lived in this constituency for seven years and last year I gave my blessings to both parliamentary aspirants. But this year, because I have absolute confidence that Baba Sadiq is the man to take this constituency to the next level, I am taking sides” he said.
Sam George also bemoaned the constant “Skirt and Blouse” outcome of results in the constituency, attributing it to disunity in the Party.
“In Okaikoi Central, NDC always wins the Presidential polls but keeps loosing when it comes to the Parliamentary. This is because there is disunity and backbiting in the party,” he added.
“Today, must mark the beginning of the retirement of Patrick Boamah!!!”, he declared.
The launch was graced by party stalwarts including former deputy information minister, James Agyenim-Boateng, 2020 NDC Spokesperson on the Creative Industry, Rex Omar, Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Constituency, Members of the Council of Elders, 2016 and 2020 Parliamentary Candidate, former G/A Deputy youth organizer of the NDC Council of Zongo Chiefs.
Akufo-Addo has come under fire from Sam Nartey George, the member of parliament for Ningo Prampram, for claiming that Ghana has experienced a great deal of freedom of speech during his administration.
Sam George claims that Akufo-Addo spread untruths when he summoned the diplomatic community to Peduase on January 28, 2020, and sternly warned them to refrain from commenting on domestic matters affecting our nation.
Speaking on the 2023 SoNA debate in parliament on March 10, 2023, Sam George said “…Our friends on the other side, led by President Akufo-Addo, who have given the truth and facts a haircut. Mr Speaker, it appears that the government led by Akufo-Addo has engaged in a debt exchange programme with the truth but has decided to peddle the untruth in this house.”
“President Akufo-Addo, in his statement in this house, said that indeed ‘freedom of speech has now reached such a height that even members of the diplomatic corp feel able to join in our national discourse’.
“Mr Speaker Akufo-Addo has forgotten that he summoned the diplomatic community to Peduase on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, and issued them with a stern warning to stop commenting on national issues of our country, that is a record of Akufo-Addo, yet today he turns around and says there is freedom of speech and that there is an intolerant person who is unhappy about the descent.
“You are begging the German government to help you beg China to forgive debt, and when the German ambassador tells you that your government is suffering from elephantiasis, you say your party symbol is an elephant, so he should leave you alone, and you are complaining about that,” Sam George added.
President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, March 7, 2023, fulfilled his constitutional mandate by addressing parliament about the current state of the nation under his stewardship.
The president emphasised that but forCOVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, the country was headed in the right direction in terms of overall development.
But according to the opposition minority, Ghana has suffered and continues to suffer from what they deem to be the incompetence of the current government.
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram in the Central region, Sam Nartey George, has condemned President Akufo-Addo over his silence on the brutal and reckless treatment the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) subjected to indigenes of Ashaiman on March 7, 2023.
Residents of Ashaiman awoke to a brutal military invasion on Tuesday dawn following the murder of a 21-year-old military officer, Sherif Imoro.
The move of the Ghana Armed Forces has been met with various reactions, some in support and others greatly condemning the actions of the military.
Following Isaac Opeele Boateng‘s assault on him, Sam Nartey George, the member of parliament for Ningo Prampram, took a shot at the former Kumasi Asante Kotoko coach.
Sam George attacked Opeele Boateng in a social media post, criticising him for his attacks.
The Ningo Prampram MP expressed displeasure that the Ghana Football Association is engaging in mediocrity while other nations’ federations are using their portion of FIFA cash for growth.
“When other FAs are using FIFA funds for proper devt of colts football & infrastructure devt, you have a supposed ‘Coach’ who has never even won sobolo in a competition say we should praise the GFA because they are securing land title & he gat nerves to call me mediocre. Tueh,” he tweeted.
Coach Opeele was the one who first went after Sam George after the MP made allegations against the Ghana Football Association.
In response to Sam George’s claims that the officials of the FA interfere in national team call-ups, Coach Opeele sought to belittle the MP with the claim that he is a novice in football.
“I monitored hue & cry by devil advocates in Gh that, GFA should sue an MP. Basically, The novice MP has no voice in soccer. How many fans know him? It is same way a sports person passing bad political comment would be overlooked cos the person has no voice in politics,” he tweeted.
What did Sam George say
Sam George in a Joy Prime interview made some wild allegations against the Ghana Football Association and its president.
Sam George said that the FA have settled on Chris Hughton as the next Black Stars coach because he can be manipulated.
“That [coaching] job they have given it to Chris Hughton already, so why are we wasting our time?” he quizzed on Joy Prime.
“They have given it to him because they want someone they can manipulate, someone they can use to do their business, someone they can tell him to bring his team selection [with changes being made with regards to agency call-ups] regardless of how long the person has played or not played.
“People are using GFA to make money; they are using it to feed their family.”
When asked whether he had proof of his comments, he said, “Tell me how Baba Rahman found his way to the last squad at the final game at the World Cup [v Uruguay]. What ball did he play? What ball had he played? Is Baba Rahman’s agent not our GFA president?”
GFA reaction
The Ghana Football Association have condemned the statement from Sam George, describing it insult.
Reacting to Sam George’s comment, Prosper Harrison Addo said it is disrespectful for the Member of Parliament to insinuate that they have been manipulating Black Stars coaches in the past.
“It is insulting to the GFA and whichever coach he is talking about. The coaches we have hired are all fathers so if you can’t disrespect your father, then don’t disrespect others.
“Are you trying to say that the coaches are fools because I have worked here for three years and I haven’t seen any coach we have hired who is a fool? How can you say we manipulate coaches who are even older than us. All of the people talking they don’t know the people they are talking about,” he said on Angel FM.
He detailed that Chris Hughton had already been chosen as the head coach but the GFA only followed formalities by opening an application for the Black Stars coaching role.
Speaking in an interview on Joynews, Sam George said, “That job has been given to Chris Hughton already. They’ve given it to him because they want someone they can manipulate,” the legislator stated.
“Someone they can use for their business. Someone whose selections they can interfere with. Let’s not waste our time. People are using GFA to feed their families so let’s go and look for money to eat,” he continued.
He stressed that the GFA has been compromised, citing the case of Baba Rahman’s involvement in the World cup.
“Some people are using GFA to feed their families. Have you forgotten what happened at the World Cup,” the NDC MP claimed
“Tell me how Baba Rahman found his way into our final squad in our last game at the World Cup. What ball has he played in the past? Is Baba Rahman’s agent not our GFA president?
“People should not annoy us in this country because we have already powdered our faces and laughing,” he added.
Barely less than a month he made this statement, the GFA announced the former Republic of Ireland international as the new trainer for the team.
He replaces Otto Addo who left his role following the country’s early exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
This vindicates Sam George as many doubted what he said earlier.
Sam George, a member of parliament for Ningo Prampram, professed confidence in the NDC’s capacity to win the 2024 general election despite disagreements between the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the minority caucus on the leadership of the minority caucus in parliament.
According to Sam George, the grass root members of the NDC have asked the MPs to solve their differences and make sure they deliver victory in the 2024 election. “Winning power is not by the big men in Accra; no big man has ever won power for any political party. Winning power comes from the hunger of the base of the party and across social media and all the platforms, what the base is saying is that MPs solve whatever issues you have, go back to parliament and deliver for us. We are focused on winning the election.”
He told Johnnie Hughes on the 3FM Sunrise Morning Show on Monday 6 February 2023 that “Winning power does not come from the big men in Accra but the masses of the people at the grass root. They have been telling us the members of parliament to deal with the situation and work together to ensure a united front towards 2024.”
Sam opined that even considering the fact that the NDC has managed to have 136 seats coming from 106 in the previous parliament is a clear indication that the NDC is serious about winning power in the next election.
He argued that around the same time in 2015, Haruna Iddrisu and Mubarak Muntaka were fresh appointees whereas the NPP had also gone to congress to elect Paul Afoko, Kwabena Agyapong and Sammy Crabbe whom the then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo said he couldn’t work with and had them suspended yet NPP won the 2016 election because the Ghanaian people voted for NDC out due to hunger and anger.
The Ningo Prampram legislator mentioned that just as the people were not happy with the NDC government though it had done creditably well, the current blatant mismanagement of the economy and the obvious discontent for the governing New Patriotic Party by the people of Ghana is indicative that NDC will win the next election hence the NPP shouldn’t see fortune in the current challenge the NDC is faced with.
A statement was issued on Tuesday, January 24 to announce the decision of the NEC of the NDC to change the leadership of the minority caucus with the Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, replacing Tamale South legislator Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader. Ellembelle’s Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah also replaced James Klutse Avedzi as Deputy Minority Leader.
However, the decision has created a sharp division among members of the minority caucus which has generated concerns within the rank and file of the largest opposition party in Ghana as the NDC anticipates a victory in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
Sam George maintained it is not every party decision that all members of the party will be happy with especially taking cognizance of the fact that a large number of the MPs have never held any party executive position before, it would have been prudent for the NDC leadership to have conferred with the members of the caucus before changing the leadership
“No individual can be bigger than the party. When the party makes a decision, you are compelled and mandated to live with it. It is not every decision of the party that every member will be pleased with however considering the stature of the people involved, and the fact that parliament is the wheel of the party made up of elected members some of whom have never held any party executive position before, consultation ought to have happened” Sam George stated
Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram has stated that parliamentarians are among the most indebted persons in the country.
Contrary to popular belief, the outspoken MP revealed that entry into the lawmaking chamber almost always comes with a rude awakening from the perception that Parliament is a land of milk and honey.
“If you come to Parliament, that is when you will know that MP-ship is all but packaging…I don’t think that there is any profession that owes bank loans like MPs,” he said in an interview on Accra-based Joy News last week.
“All the V8 that we drive is from loan. I know MPs who go home with less than 1,000 cedis because people have to take loans,” he stressed.
In a 2021 interview, Sam George said MPs take home an amount of GH¢11,000.
According to him, the GH¢11,000 is the salary MPs in the eighth parliament will be receiving until the salaries and emolument committee has been set up by the president to determine the salaries of Article 71 officeholders.
“The salary of an MP in the last Parliament is around GH¢29,000 a month and that is gross. By the time they finish the deductions, you’ll go home with GH¢11,000,” he explained.
The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, is calling for calm heads following the controversy over the Minority Leadership shake-up.
According to him, the current agitations could have been avoided if the largest opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC) had built consensus on the removal of Haruna Iddrisu and the subsequent appointment of Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
Speaking to Accra-based Joy News on the back of this, Sam George called for cool heads to weather the current turbulence.
“It’s important as a political party that we begin to sit down and jaw-jaw and have a conversation. How do we resolve the issues that we’re saddled with? These are not fatal issues,” he said.
“For us as members of the caucus, all we’re asking for is engagement at our level so we feel our sacrifices have been appreciated. Even if there’s change you’ll need all 136 on board to be able to come together and present a united front. We need to look at how to do this and move forward, how do we fine-tune things,” he added.
The comments of Sam George come on the back of a huge uproar from a section of the Minority in parliament over the removal process of the Tamale South MP.
A letter addressed to the Speaker of Parliament and signed by the NDC’s General Secretary in a shock move appointed the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam MP, Dr Ato Forson as Minority Leader.
Ketu North MP, Dr James Klutse Avedzi was replaced by the Ellembele MP, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah as Deputy Minority Leader while Adaklu MP, Kwame Governs Agbodza got an elevation to the Minority Chief Whip position replacing Asawase MP, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak.
The Ningo-Prampram MP also lauded the old leadership and the new ones for exhibiting maturity to ensure things don’t degenerate into chaos.
“I must salute Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka for the restraint they’ve shown in Tamale and Asawase. I must commend them for that because they’re putting the victory of John Mahama in 2025 ahead of their personal considerations.
“Again the leadership of Ato Forson, Agbodza and Kofi Buah have shown proper man-management in these heady times to ensure that we’re not seeing all kinds of statements flying from all sides from the Central, Volta and Western regions. It’s the maturity that all the players involved have exhibited,” he added.
Sam Nartey George, Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, has likened the current leadership of the Minority Caucus in parliament to galacticos – a group of superstar soccer players.
In an interview with Citi FM (January 25, 2023), he emphasized the need for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership to offer effective management in choosing who leads.
“What you have right now is a team of galacticos and a coach who can only field five but has 10 super stars. How do you manage it?
“You have to explain to the person who has to be on the bench why he has to be on the bench and why somebody has to lead, and it falls on leadership,” the MP stressed after lamenting how there was a complete lack of consultation and engagement with MPs before their leaders were changed.
He called on the National Chairman, General Secretary, and Council of Elders to immediately ensure that processes are put in place to douse rising discontent with the changes.
NDC rings changes in parliamentary leadership
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the NDC’s National Chairman, explained earlier this week why the party has replaced key members of its leadership in Parliament.
The NDC, through its General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, wrote to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to announce the replacement of three members: the Minority Leader, the deputy Minority Leader, and the Minority Chief Whip.
The NDC picked Cassiel Ato Forson (Ajumako Enyan Essiam MP) to replace Haruna Iddrisu (Tamale South MP) as leader of the Minority Caucus.
Other changes and retentions
Other changes included Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for Ellembele, who is the new deputy Minority Chief Whip.
While Kwame Governs Agbodza, MP for Adaklu, will replace Asawase MP Muntaka Mohammed as the Chief Whip.
Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the first deputy Minority Chief Whip, while Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is also retained as the second deputy Minority Chief Whip.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has outlined what he believes is accounting for some resistance in the recent announcement of changes in the leadership of the Minority in parliament.
The national leadership of the NDC, on Tuesday, January 23, 2022, wrote to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, announcing a change in the leadership of its caucus in the House.
The announcement by the party, described by some critics as a palace coup, has attracted resistance from some members of the NDC, including some MPs who have signed a petition asking for the reversal of the changes.
Speaking on the Thursday, January 26, 2022, edition of Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV, Sam George said the resistance of the MPs against the changes is mainly due to a lack of engagement that went into the decision.
According to him, some NDC MPs had absolutely no idea about the changes in their caucus leadership until it was announced in the media.
“The problem I see MPs having, Randy, is not about the change. The problem of the caucus is not about the change; the problem of the caucus is not about the capacity of the people who are being changed; the problem of the caucus is the lack of engagement. The fact that as members of parliament we heard about a change in leadership on the radio and many of us had eggs in our faces because we said it is fake until Adabraka came out to say that yes we wrote that letter,” he said.
Sam George, despite describing the changes in the minority caucus as democracy at play, noted that the party failed to engage extensively during its consultations.
“Randy, even in senior high school, the headmaster doesn’t sit in his office and appoint who becomes the head boy. Right now, they do manifesto, they do voting,” he added.
Despite his concerns, Sam George lauded the former leadership and the newly-appointed leaders of the caucus for their restraint and comportment following the announcement.
“Here, I would want to salute the restraint that has been shown by Honourable Haruna Iddrisu and Honourable Muntaka Mubarak. Because the expectation was that by now the NDC in Tamale and Asawase will be up in flames. We have seen comments that have been made but they have been managed (sic) without rocking the fortunes of the NDC and that, for me, is very critical. Because it then means that these individuals irrespective of how they may feel, slighted or not, justified or not still put the forward march of the NDC to salvage this country in the 2024 polls ahead of any personal misgivings or challenges they may have, and that for me is very telling and we must celebrate them.
“In like manner, I also want to celebrate Ato Forson, Buah and Agbodza for also holding back their regions and their followers from any over-the-top comments that would incinerate or inflate passion in a certain way. We have seen measured statements from people in the Volta Region, Central Region and Western Region, and once again I celebrate them because they have managed their base and their following to ensure that this remains a decorous conversation,” he added.
Sam George however called on the leadership of the NDC to bring what he says should be a finality to the matter in the next 48 hours, through adequate consultation with the parties involved in the changes.
Background
A former deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has been appointed as the Minority Leader, as replacement for Haruna Iddrisu.
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has also been named as the new Deputy Minority Chief Whip.
Kwame Agbodza takes over as Chief Whip.
Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the First Deputy Minority Chief Whip, while Comfort Doyo Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is the Second Deputy Minority Chief Whip.
This was contained in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, from the National Democratic Congress dated January 23, 2023.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has called on the clergymen on the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana to urgently resign for the sake of their integrity.
In an interview on January 17, 2023, the MP said that leaders of churches in Ghana have for long allowed themselves to be used by politicians to steal from the state.
He added that the clergymen, by staying on the board, are making themselves accomplices to the corruption being seen in the Cathedral project.
“To all the apostolic fathers, to our respected men and woman of faith, especially those of you who sit on the board, it is untenable, respectfully, for you to continue to sit on that board.
“Many of you gave of your youth for the propagation and establishment of the gospel, especially in the charismatic faith in our land.
“We love you and we cherish you, and it breaks our hearts that you allow crooks in government to use your face as a smoke screen to steal from the poor. You have taught us in many Sunday sermons to speak truth to authority and as your son, I make an appeal to you, the apostolic fathers to save yourselves and your dignity and disassociate yourself from the blatant stealing,” he said.
Meanwhile, details have emerged on the reasons why Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, the founder and leader of the United Denomination Originating from the Lighthouse Group of Churches (UD-OLGC), resigned from the Board of Trustees of the Cathedral.
According to a citinewsroom.com report, the man of God resigned from the board due to many ignored concerns that were raised for years with regard to the construction of the National Cathedral.
For instance, in his resignation letter he wrote to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, President Akufo-Addo, and others, he raised concerns about the cost, design, fundraising, and location of the project, among others, but did not receive a response after writing several letters.
Dag Heward-Mills also said that questions being raised by Ghanaians on the construction of the National Cathedral of Ghana are legitimate.
According to him, the public has the right to ask questions about the project because, 6 years after the construction of the project started and after using $30 million of public funds, they can only see a huge pit in the centre of Accra, citinewroom.com reports.
The remaining members of the board are:
1. Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah, former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost – Chairperson
2. Archbishop Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop, Cape Coast – Vice Chairman
3. Most Rev. Bishop Justice Ofei Akrofi, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus – Member
4. Rt. Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church – Member
5. Most Rev T. K. Awotwi Pratt, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church – Member
6. Rev Prof Cephas Omenyo, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church – Member
7. Pastor Mensa Otabil, General Overseer of International Central Gospel Church – Member
8. Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, Presiding Archbishop and General Overseer of Action Chapel International – Member
9. Rev Dr Joyce Aryee, Executive Director, Salt and Light Ministries – Member
10. Rev Eastwood Anaba, Founder and President of Eastwood Anaba Ministries – Member
11. Rev Victor Kusi-Boateng, Founder of Power Chapel Worldwide – Member/Secretary
12. Rev Dr Frimpong Manso, General Superintendent, Assemblies of God – Member
At the National Cathedral Secretariat, there is an appointed Executive Director known as Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah with two (2) representatives of the United States.
Rapper and singer, Pappy Kojo, born Jason Gaisie, has taken the initiative to smokethe peace pipe with MP for Ningo-Prampram after a series of arguments over some posts on social media.
Sam George and Pappy Kojo had a feud on social media in March, after the rapper chastised the MP for bullying Deborah Vanessa (Sister Derby) sometime in July 2021.
Pappy Kojo attacked Sam George for scrutinizing his colleague for advocating for the LGBTQ+ community. Pappy was of the opinion that it was inappropriate for Sam George to have insensitively gone after Sister Derby.
This triggered the MP to slam the artiste for being six months late – “like his music career” – in addressing an issue that has been long trashed.
After the social media brouhaha between the two, Pappy Kojo has been appealing to Sam George and all the other people he has offended. He said he did not attack the MP; instead, he was defending Sister Derby.
He, thus, apologized to the MP for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, for speaking ill of him.
In an interview with KMJ on Prime Morning, Friday, the artiste reiterated his apology to the MP for peace to prevail between them.
“Senior man, please forgive me for all I’ve said against you.”Please allow me to join you the next time you go to the chapel so we can worship God together,” he apologized.
When asked whether he would love to meet Sam George, he replied, “I’m scared he might beat me.” Hence the need for the apology to foster peace, love, and safety.
He refuted the criticism of attacking people on social media by asking, “Who was I fighting?”
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has called on government officials who traveled to Qatar to make their way back to Ghana following the country’s exit from the World Cup tournament on Friday.
Uruguay kicked Ghana out of the ongoing tournament by two goals to nil.
Reacting to the news, Mr Nartey George provided four takeaways from the defeat which included “Now can our government officials come back home to their real jobs.”
Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, is among the government officials who flew to Qatar to support their Black Stars.
During the debate on the 2023 budget statement presented by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, only 21 MPs on the Majority side were present. Also, the Minority was infuriated by the absence of Ministers who were to be present to defend the budget allocation to their respective ministries.
It is unknown where the remaining Majority MPs were on November 29, when Parliament debated the budget.
It comes as no surprise that Mr Nartey George has jabbed his colleagues who he says should return to do what they are being paid to do.
The remaining three takeaways provided by the heartbroken MP are that Ghana needs a “proper coach with technical know-how”, and “the GFA executives need to stop interfering in team selection.”
Despite Ghana’s defeat, he was pleased that “we are going home with Uruguay.”
Four take aways from this defeat;
1. We need a proper coach with technical know how
2. The GFA Executives need to stop interfering in team selection
3. Even if we lost, we are going home with Uruguay
4. Now can our government officials come back home to their real jobs.
Samuel Nartey George, NDC MP, Ningo-Prampram, has stated that Ursula Owusu-Ekuful is unfit to be the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation.
According to him, the Minister unofficially asked Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to curtail some services on SIM cards not completely registered.
He said the Minister’s directive is for the MNOs to block data services for SIMs that have undergone the first stage of the two-staged registration process but are not done with the second stage.
Ursula Owusu’s decision, Sam George said is uninformed and must be reversed.
The Member of the Communications Committee noted the Minister who is also the MP for Ablekuma West does not understand the industry she leads.
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful had earlier hinted at possible sanctions for persons who have deliberately refused to take part in the SIM re-registration exercise.
Speaking to the media after a Technology Breakfast Meeting earlier this month, the Minister said, “we all need to ensure that we protect the systems that we are putting in place. This is one aspect of it, but the SIM re-registration is also another aspect of it. There are some who have genuine concerns, and we are working with the NIA to [address them].
“But there are others who have the Ghana cards but have not completed the process. So clearly, either they do not intend to, or are unwilling to, so we will have some measures to announce in due course soon.”
But in a Facebook post, Sam George wrote, “I have noted with renewed concern your ‘unofficial’, uninformed and retrogressive ‘directive’ to MNOs to deactivate data services on SIMs that have done stage 1 registration but not completed stage 2 registration.”
“I refer to the ‘directive’ as ‘unofficial’ because you have refused to write a letter either from the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation Ghana or the National Communications Authority Ghana to the Telecommunications Companies. You expect them to carry out your uninformed fiat by way of a press statement or Facebook post of yours? Really? Is that what you have reduced the distinguished office of Minister of Communications to? The same office occupied by Edward Salia, Spio-Garbah, John Mahama, Mike Ocquaye, Albert Kan-Dapaah, Haruna Iddrisu and Omane Boamah? Jesus Christ of Nazareth!” he added.
Sam George continued: “This policy position is not just uninformed but shows you are clearly unfit for the office you occupy. What is the basis for your general conclusion on all who have not completed stage 2 registration? That they are recalcitrant? That is the most unintelligent reasoning I have heard in your rather unimpressive stint as Minister.
“There are individuals who have completed stage 1 registration but misplaced their Ghana Cards before being able to complete stage 2 at a Telco Office. These persons have had to go and apply for replacement cards at the NIA. The challenges with that process are not new to any rational mind.
“Another group of persons who have completed the stage 1 but not stage 2 are those whose card have been unreadable when they have gone to the Telco offices. These persons have had to go back to the NIA and apply for replacements. How you as Minister can conclude that these citizens, many of whom have been frustrated by the cumbersome process you have chosen, are recalcitrant and so should be punished beats logical thinking.”
“If you are convinced your directive is grounded in law and can stand scrutiny, why are you refusing to officially write to the MNOs? That has always been how directives have been communicated to them. If the MNOs – MTN Ghana, Vodafone Ghana and AirtelTigo Ghana – proceed with this ‘illegal’ directive without any written documentation, they should be prepared to face us, on behalf of the citizens, in Court as we fight for what is right, proper and just.
“All MPs have their own professions or trades before being elected. Professionals are NOT elected! They go through a set training regime with rules and practices and are guided by same.”
“How very educated people see being an MP as a profession is shocking? Do Lawyers, Doctors, Engineers, Architects and other professionals have to keep renewing their professional calls periodically?”
“It is this thinking that makes MPs think their seats are their properties. Under no circumstances should any person see his position as an MP as a profession. All MPs have their own professions or trades before being elected. Professionals are NOT elected! They go through a set training regime with rules and practices and are guided by same.”
“Can anyone show me the training program set up to become an MP? How can a position which is ONLY achieved by other people deciding you are worthy to represent them become a profession? I am still shocked at how many people think on these streets. God help us all. Cheers. ????????????” his post read.
Ningo Prampram, lawmaker Samuel Nartey George has called for the process to investigate the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta by the 8-member committee formed by the Speaker, to be transmited by live television.
Sam George called for this to be live on television given the huge public interest in this matter.
“Mr Speaker, I will like to call for the sittings to be televised live given the nature of the matter.”
The Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin on Thursday November 10 set a committee to investigate the allegations made against Mr Ofori-Atta by the Minority in Parliament for which they filed a motion to get him removed from office.
The 8-member committee, co-chaired by Dr Dominic Ayine and KT Hammond, lawmakers for Bolgatanga East and Adansi-Asokwa respectively, has within seven working days to complete its work and submit the report
The Speaker’s ruling came after the Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament Alexander Afenyo-Markin challenged the motion of the Minority on the basis that the Finance Minister will suffer injustice if the House goes ahead with the application.
Mr Afenyo-Markin indicated that the claims by the Minority were criminal in nature upon a proper scrutiny.
To that end, he called for a fair hearing for the Minister.
The Minority accused Mr Ofori-Atta of, among other things, personally benefitting from every loan that the government takes.
But the Effutu Member of Parliament said “these matters, upon a proper scrutiny, are criminal in nature. The Minister should be given a fair hearing.”
“If we go ahead with the application we will be doing a lot of injustice to our colleague. If this application is allowed it will be injustice and unfairness, the Minister wouldn’t have been given adequate time to prepare for his defense,” he stressed.
Justifying the motion to get the Finance Minister removed, the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said President Akufo-Addo was not ready to sack the Minister.
Therefore, he appealed the Majority Members of Parliament to support the move to get him removed.
In his ruling on this matter, Speaker Bagbin said after announcing the formation of the committee that “The evidence will be placed before the committee. The Minister will have the opportunity to defend himself.
“A report will be presented to the House, and we will debate that report.”
The Ningo-Prampram MP says the Minority Caucus will not accord the honourable title to his colleagues on the Majority side should they fail to vote against the Finance Ministerin a censure vote today.
Samuel Nartey George said any contrary action by the NPP MPs will mean they lack honour and thus do not deserve to be treated as such.
Speaking on Metro TV on Thursday, the NDC MP said they will refer to the NPP MPsby their regular names and not honourable.
He thus urged them to earn the title honourable today.
“Today, it is a matter of honour. It is a matter of the title we so fight for. So they (NPP MPs) must earn their title today.
“This is a call to the 137 on the Majority side. Earn your title. Else we will not call you honourable members of the rest of the term.
“We will refer to you by your regular names because you are going to show Ghanaians that you lack honour,” he threatened.
Mr Nartey George added the motion by his caucus has no partisan motive.
According to him, it represents the general demands of the majority of Ghanaians.
“Ghana is at the crossroads today. Today Parliament has the opportunity to distinguish itself and ensure that we are masters of our own craft and ensure that we care about the people we represent.
The motion of censure that stands in the name of the Minority leader is not a motion that is to seek a partisan or political or parochial interest. It is simply in response to the calls by Ghanaians,” he added.
The Minority Caucus’s censure motion against the embattled Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to be moved today.
The motion which was filed on October 25, per the constitution is to be debated upon and voted on the same after 14 days of its receipt by the Speaker of Parliament.
Today, Thursday, November 10, is the fourteenth day, after the motion was received by the Speaker.
The grounds for the Minority’s motion include mismanagement of the economy, alleged withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund, and illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts among other reasons.
Ahead of that, the New Patriotic Party has ordered its Members of Parliament (MPs) to abstain from the vote of censure against the embattled Finance Minister.
The party has thus asked the chief whips of the Caucus to ensure the order is complied with.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, November 9, and signed by the General Secretary of the party, Mr. Justin Kodua Frimpong, he said the decision was taken after wider consultation with major stakeholders.
“The leadership of the New Patriotic Party, following a broader consultation and engagements with stakeholders has resolved and hereby directs all members of the Majority Caucus in Parliament to abstain from a scheduled vote of censure being sought by the Minority Caucus against Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister for Finance.
Meanwhile, the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, has warned that members of the Majority Caucus who had rebelled against the Finance Minister may face dire consequences should the vote of censure fail.
According to him, in the event the vote of censure fails, the 80 Majority Caucus members would be at the mercy of their party officials and this will not bode well for them.
Already, all NDC MPs have been instructed not to miss today’s sitting in order to get the required number to carry out their objective.
The Deputy Minority Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim has warned that there will be consequences should any member fail to show up.
Before the nation’s next election in December 2024, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbinhas promised to give Ghanaians a law that forbids same-sex-related activities.
Speaking at a media engagement, Rt. Hon Bagbin emphasized that “the sexual rights and human values Bill that is being handled by the committee will definitely be passed before the next elections. That Bill will go through.”
For the umpteenth time, the Speaker has pledged to see to the passage of the bill that was presented to the House in August 2021 by eight parliamentarians led by Ningo-Prampram MP, Sam George.
His previous comments sparked controversy and among those who found fault with the Speaker’s unwavering stance is Majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
The Majority leader argued that it is out of place for the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, to have made a predetermination concerning the bill since he technically is not a parliamentarian and thus cannot make such a commitment on behalf of Parliament.
The proponents of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values 2021 bill are seeking to criminalise the LGBTQ community in Ghana.
Should it be passed, people who identify as LGBTQ and/or engage in the said practice could face up to five years in prison.
LGBT activists could also face up to a 10-year-jail time.
Portions of the bill proposed that “a person who, by use of media, technological platform, technological account or any other means, produces, procures, markets, broadcasts, disseminates, publishes or distributes a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill, or a person uses an electronic device, the Internet service, a film, or any other device capable of electronic storage or transmission to produce, procure, market, broadcast, disseminate, publishes or distribute a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than ten years.”
Following the presentation of the bill, the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee in Parliament held several public hearings after receiving over 124 memoranda from the public.
It has been over a year and Ghanaians cannot categorically state that the country’s laws explicitly ban homosexuality, although there are arguments that customs and traditions do not tolerate same-sex related activities.
One of the major issues that have arisen is the purported infringement of rights, as the bill seeks to deter citizens from sympathizing with the LGBTQ community.
A group, Concerned Citizens, has noted that the “dangerous bill” limits the democratic rights of Ghanaians.
As the country continues to deliberate on the matter, there are reports that an anti-LGBTQ bill will have financial implications for the country.
“If you criminalize it and a person is sentenced to prison, who’s going to feed the person, it affects the national purse,” Chairman of Parliament’s Constitutional,Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, told JoyNews.
Also, CDD-Ghana has noted that Ghana could lose up to 6% of its annual budget funding should the Anti-LGBT bill pass.
On the matter, Mr Sam Nartey George has argued that the economic consequences that Ghana may face as a result of passing the Anti-LGBT bill will be negligible.
According to him, the country has been faring well with very few grants from international organisations; thus in the event they are withdrawn, the country is well situated to weather the storm.
The Church of Pentecost is one of the many organisations which remain opposed to a country that encourages same-sex activities, be it gay pride or gay marriages.
His comments come on the back of the country’s current economic challenges.
Ghana’s annual inflation rate accelerated to 37.2 per cent in September 2022, for the 16th straight month from 33.9 per cent in August.
This was the highest reading since July 2001.
Also, prices of imported goods accelerated faster than domestic items.
This is largely due to the weakening cedi.
Mr Nartey George, who referred to one of the icons the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) used in the 2016 election campaign, Kalyppo, said despite the sweet taste of the fruit juice, Ghanaians are witnessing the opposite.
“Kalyppo is supposed to be sweet but what we are seeing is a completely different ball game, oh”.
“Even Akpeteshi would not burn us like this,” Mr Nartey George stated in a Facebook post on Monday, October 17, 2022.
He added: “The suffering is extreme! Only God can save us now.”
Prior to the 2016 elections, drinking Kalyppo became a trend as leading members of the NPP, including Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, Samira, among others were seen sipping on the drink.
Ningo-Prampram MP Sam Nartey George has taken down his Facebook post about an alleged cyber attack on the systems of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
According to him, he deleted the post out of respect for the ongoing audit and maintenance work the ECG is doing to resolve the challenges customers have been facing in buying prepaid credits.
Mr George added that he did not intend to compromise the remedial steps ECG was taking to resolve the situation.
“I have taken down my ECG post out of respect for the work I have just been informed is being done on the matter. I do not intend in any way to compromise the remedial steps underway,” he wrote.
On Sunday, October 2, the legislator claimed that the challenges ECG prepaid customers are experiencing are “extremely serious” because “the attack on their system was not external but carried out by a cabal of ‘criminals’ within the very same organisation.”
The MP added that he had an information that a group had been siphoning over ¢200 million every month from the power distribution company.
He urged government to commence a forensic investigation of the IT department of ECG.
“What we are witnessing is internal power play to cripple the new MD who has dared to open an investigation into these matters. The state security apparatus must with alacrity take this matter up and ensure the safety and protection of the MD and his team seeking to uncover the mess.
“The rot at ECG would make you sick if you truly love this country and it is not about politicians here. It is Ghanaian citizens taking advantage of the citizens. We demand swift and immediate action,” he said.
The ECG has, however, indicated that it is undertaking an audit into its systems to help ascertain what caused the interruptions in the purchase of electricity credits by customers using both old and new prepaid metres.
Speaking on The Probe on Sunday, ECG’s General Manager of External Communications said “for every system when there are issues you do a system audit and that is what we are doing now, trying to make sure we audit the system to understand what happened.”
Mr Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku added that “I am sure at the end of the day we will come to a conclusion but for now, effort and concentration are to make sure that we get our systems up and running.”
Despite the challenges, the General Manager insisted the ECG systems are not vulnerable and believes the audit will clearly spell out what went wrong.
Meanwhile, Mr Goerge says he “would continue to follow the matter and update the public on the actions taken to ensure such treachery against our country never happens again.”
Credit purchase
On October 1, ECG said they had fixed the vending challenges and urged customers to visit any nearest office to purchase credits.
However, some customers have been reporting challenges as of Monday morning.
Barely a week to the September 30th deadline for the re-registration of SIM cards, Ningo-Prampram MP, Sam George has alleged that the National Identification Authority (NIA) offered preferential treatment in issuing Ghana Cards to some nine Ghanaian citizens after they filed a writ against the Authority.
Sam George disclosed this in an interview on Top Story on Thursday.
According to the Deputy Ranking Member on the Communications Committee in Parliament, the NIA decided to call these persons to come for their cards because they filed a writ in court over the matter.
The MP said these Ghanaians registered for the card in 2018 and over two years have been struggling to receive their cards.
But the MP noted that the Authority after the writ had been filed, “begged” these persons to come for their cards and were met with “VIP” treatment.
“Evans, we filed a suit on Monday with nine Ghanaian citizens some who had registered for the Ghana Cardssince 2018 but have not received the Ghana Card…Within 48 hours they were called by the NIA, and begged to come for their cards.
“They got to the NIA office, they were given VIP treatment, there was an NIA officerwaiting to meet them at the entrance, walked them straight into an air-conditioned room, offered them water and then gave them their Ghana Cards. These are people who for two and a half years had been chasing the NIA, had been tossed left and right, some of them came from outside Accra and had to go to El-wak and Shiashie with no success,” he narrated.
Sam George emphasised that despite the preferential treatment meted out to these people, the case will proceed in court.
This, he said is because the said persons were affected by the two days’ blockage of SIM cards by the telecommunications companies.
With three days to the September 30 SIM re-registration deadline, the Communications Ministryis facing a flood of lawsuits against its determination to block unregistered SIM cards.
On Monday, another group, some of whom are constituents of Ningo Prampram filed a writ at the High Court seeking an injunction against the NCA and Attorney General on the exercise.
Speaking to JoyNews, the MP for Ningo Prampram Sam George said his constituents feel they will be punished for something beyond their control.
“These are citizens who have complied with the directive and taken every reasonable step to get registered. Whatever is left is outside their control. Either for the NIA to provide them with the card that they have registered.
“Some registered as far back as 2019 and they still haven’t gotten their cards. Others have registered and the NIA has asked them to come for it in December. So in this case, they can’t do anything except what they have done,” he said.
He further added that at least six lawsuits have been filed against the NCA on the matter.
His warning was published on his social media accounts and made reference to a video in which Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the minister of communication and digitalization, is shown announcing the prolongation of the SIM re-registration procedure late last month.
“I can RELUCTANTLY & CONFIDENTLY state that the threat that you would pay more for telecoms services after today if you haven’t registered your SIM card has fallen flat.
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful late last month extended a SIM re-registration deadline stating that she was giving the very final deadline after which operators will be ordered to block unregistered SIMs.
The Minister announced whilst granting a conditional extension of the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards registration exercise said it will now end on September 30, 2022 – without fail.
A self-help app has been released on Play Store since last week. It will cost a user GHC5 to go through the second and final stage of their SIM registration by themselves.
The opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, Sam George’s party, has strongly kicked against the sole use of the Ghana Card as an identification document for continuous voter registration.
The party insists that doing so will disenfranchise a vast number of people who can use other IDs to prove they are Ghanaians and are of voting age.
In response to a social media user about his opinion on the visit of Nigerian cross-dresser, Bobrisky, Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George noted that, Ghanaians are known for their hospitality but we have laws that are expected to be adhered to.
“Dear Sam, I have heard that Bobrisky wants to visit Ghana and he is an influencer. If we can remove signboards, that means we can also stop planes from landing,†the social media user asked.
Replying to the comment, Sam George said, he has no problem with Bobrisky visiting Ghana but he, however, will expect the cross-dresser to adhere to the laws of Ghana while in the country.
“Barnabas, we are a hospitable people, however, you must respect our laws, culture, and norms whilst here. When he gets here, he should endeavor to comply. O for Oshe bhaddest,†he reacted.
On June 10, 2022, the LGBTQ+ community mounted a billboard that was pulled down by authorities.
He observed that the country is operated by laws and thus will fight to protect its cultural sovereignty.
“Information reaching me is that the obnoxious LGBTQI+ billboard has been removed this evening after our press engagement today.
“We salute the authorities for their swift response. We are a country of laws and would fight till the end to protect our cultural sovereignty,†Sam George tweeted.
Sam George and some MPs – Emmanuel Bedzrah (MP, Ho West) Della Adjoa Sowah (MP, Kpando), John Ntim Fordjour (MP, Assin South), Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini (MP, Tamale North), Helen Adjoa Ntoso (MP, Krachi West), Rita Naa Odoley Sowah (MP, La Dadekotopon) and Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor (MP, South Dayi) – have submitted a Private Member Bill on the LGBTQI activities.
The Bill on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights prescribes that people of the same sex who engage in sexual activity could spend up to 10 years in jail.
Hon Sam George is showing us that apart from getting noticed on the floor of parliament, he has what it takes to be noticed on the dance floor as well.
At the reception of their ceremony, the Ghanaian politician seized a microphone from Samini to perform the dancehall act’s ‘My Own’ love song for his wife. Sam George’s performance stunned Samini and their wedding guests as he happily rattled the lyrics out.
Sam George and his wife
The video from his performance has also made it to social media and netizens have a lot to say. “Allah @samgeorgegh for VGMAs artist of the year,” Twitter influencer, @Opresii said as he shared Sam George’s performance video on the bluebird app.
The outspoken first announced their wedding anniversary on 4th August 2022, when he shared beautiful photos with his wife and wrote “10 years ago today, we made a vow of forever before GOD. It has been a journey of love, affection but most importantly friendship. To my best friend, mother of my kids, wife of my youth, personal Ayigbe Toffee, let’s do the next 10 with even more swag and grace“.
10 years ago today, we made a vow of forever before GOD. It has been a journey of love, affection but most importantly friendship. To my best friend, mother of my kids, wife of my youth, personal Ayigbe Toffee, let’s do the next 10 with even more swag and grace. ðŸ¦â¤ï¸ðŸ”¥ pic.twitter.com/kDK0v6ATxZ
The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George has been nominated to serve as Secretary for the African Parliamentary Network~ on Internet Governance (APNIG).~
Mr George who has years of experience in the Internet, Communication, Digital and Telecommunication industry in Ghana and beyond was nominated by his peers to serve on the African body at the Internet Governance Forum which was launched in Lilongwe, Malawi on June 19, 2022.
The goal of the Network is to strengthen the role of Parliamentarians in shaping a common digital future from an African perspective.
The African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance (APNIG) empowers Parliamentarians by strengthening their capacities, networks and competencies in framing digital development in Africa mainly because Internet Governance is collaborative with pluralistic consensus from diverse communities building the internet which requires a multistakeholder approach to serve as a glue to bind inclusive participatio
The inaugural digital policy symposium saw progressive discussions on digital policy and the evolution of the internet from participants and a team of experts.
The African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance has 30 members from 20 countries across the continent. The group aims to have active Parliamentarians committed to digital development from all 54 African States.
The group at the launch of the session collectively agreed to immediately start addressing the following pertinent issues towards digital development in Africa including “capacity building for APNIG Members that drills down to cover the national status of Digital Geopolitics, the Digital Economy, governance for an open and unfragmented Internet among others.â€
The group has also resolved to fashion out an AU Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa, introduce stringent cybersecurity and cyber crimes laws that will focus on strengthening the digital rights of Africans and also address online abuse of women in politics.
According to Sam George, the group will in the coming days organise an Africa-EU/Africa-UK/Africa-North America/Africa-South America/Africa-Asia/Africa-Oceania MPs Digital Policy Dialogue and also engage in a regional, continental and international multistakeholder and multi-sector dialogue to foster sustainable digital development in Africa.
Collectively, the group has also resolved to review and follow up on ratification of the international, continental and regional legal framework as per national specifics, address meaningful digital connectivity across the African continent and develop Five Year Strategic and Work Plan for APNIG.
The Network is led by Neema Lugangira from Tanzania as Chairman with Alhajie Mbow as Vice Chairman and Sam George as Secretary.
Ningo Prampram Member of Parliament Samuel Nartey George has said the extension of the deadline for the SIM card registration will not solve the problem associated with the exercise.
He said although the extension is a welcoming news, he and his friends who are against the entire exercise will challenge the legality of the procedure adopted by the Minister for Communications and Digitalization for the exercise.
Speaking on the News 360 on TV3 Tuesday March 22, Sam Goerge said “The point must be made that this extension will buy sometime, but will not fix the problem. Given the magnitude of the problem, the extension is not sufficient enough. The solution to this problem is what we are going to move onto now.
“We have managed to secure the extension, what we are going to do now is to challenge the legality of the procedure, that is our next line of action, we are challenging the legality of the SIM registration process as ongoing. We are not saying SIM registration is illegal, we are saying the procedure and the methodology the Minister has laid out through the NCA is illegal.â€
The deadline for the SIM card re-registration has been pushed forward from 31st March to 31st July.
“More time will be required to update the SIM Registration App for the registration of diplomats, while a Self-Service SIM Registration App is also being developed to facilitate registration of SIM cards for Ghanaians resident abroad.
“This will be operational by mid-April,†a statement issued by Minister of Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said on Tuesday, March 22.
The Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has questioned the basis for which the appointment of a private legal practitioner, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Commonwealth and Investment Council (CEIC) was published on the official Facebook account of Ghana’s presidency.
Gabby Otchere-Darko was appointed the new chair of CWEIC Ghana Hub on September 1, 2021.
Sharing a screengrab of a post made on the presidency’s Facebook page with the handle name “Jubilee House,” Sam George sought explanation on why such information about the private legal practitioner was shared with a state account despite several claims that he holds no state or government position.
“Dear Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe and Kow Essuman, can you explain to me a taxpayer why the presidency is using its official social media handle to put out information about an individual who we are told has nothing to do with government?
“Why is the Jubilee House projecting Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko? What’s going on guys?” Sam George sought his answers from two staffers at the presidency.
In response to the post, however, a member of the ruling party and current Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, said the post was a mistake which was acknowledged with proper corrective measures taken.
“Pulled down long ago. Mistake acknowledged,” he stated.
However, Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, one of the presidential staffers Sam George sought his answer from, tagged the question by the opposition MP as needless propaganda.
“Next time, do a little research and reading and stop your usual needless propaganda. Now read and come back again,” he shared his comment with a link to the publication of Gabby’s appointment after initially acknowledging the post as a mistake in another comment.
A cousin to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has been labelled by some people as influential in the current government.Â
However, there have been counterarguments against claims influence wielded by the private lawyer in the current government with point being made to the fact that he holds no official position in the government of his cousin.
Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram Samuel Nartey George has said a chunk of the revenue that the government is targeting from the E-levy will be going to the office of government machinery.
He said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is demanding half of the expected revenue to his office alone.
He told Johnnie Hughes on the New Day show on TV3 Monday, February 21, that the government is targeting to raise ¢5.5billion from the E-levy.
“Half of the E-levy is going to Office of the Government Machinery; his office is taking half of the E-levy,” he said.
The government seeks to approve the E-levy policy proposal in the 2022 budget statement. However, the proposal has met stiff opposition from the Minority in Parliament and a section of the Ghanaian public.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is still surprised at the dissenting voices because, in his view, the proposal will propel development.
He, however, expressed optimism that the policy would be approved, but if it does not go through, the government will turn to the petroleum sector for revenue.
Asked what the alternative is, in the event the E-levy fails, while speaking to journalists at a function in Accra on Friday, February 18, he said, “There are always many alternatives, but really, you are looking at the future, and you are looking at ways we can solve the issue of the increased revenue and everybody participating.
“The challenge is, for example, assuming you earn a million cedis a year and you transfer all of that through MoMo. What am I asking of you? ¢15,000. Is that what you have been fighting against? Or if you are a student and assuming you earn 100,000 cedis, which is unlikely, that means what, a 1500 cedis.
“So you then begin to ask the question, what is it that we are fighting against? And if I have also said the first hundred cedis will not be a part of it which means 3000 monthly income.
“The alternatives are many; you can go into petroleum, but is that really what you want? The mood of the country is different from the arithmetic in Parliament, and that is why I have gone around.”
Mr Ofori-Atta had earlier ruled out returning to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for support to deal with the challenges that the local economy is going through at the moment.
Speaking at the 3rd Townhall meeting on the E-levy on Thursday, February 10, at the Radache Hotel in Tamale in the Northern Region, he indicated that returning to the Bretton Woods Institution would have dire consequences.
The government was called upon to return to the IMF for support instead of relying on the proposed E-levy for revenue.
For instance, a former Member of Parliament for New Juabeng South, Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah, believed that a return would rescue Ghana’s struggling economy.
“Without a doubt, I think we should be placing a call to Washington if we haven’t done that. We are just not going to ask for the funds just because E-levy has been passed or not. E-levy will just bring about GH¢5 billion. We are in a deep hole in our tax revenue and facing difficulties, so going to the Fund will give us some support.
“So there is nothing wrong with going to the Fund. Ghana is a member of the IMF, so what is wrong going to ask for support when we are in difficulties to go and pool resources. If I was the finance minister, I would be convincing the President that it is about time we went back,” he told Citi.
Mark Assibey Yeboah also added that the revenue expected to be accrued from the E-levy is to ensure the economic stability government is eyeing.
He further cast doubts on the government’s ability to raise the projected GH¢6.9 billion target, saying the government’s maximum from the controversial e-levy is GH¢5 billion.
“The GH¢6.9 billion target cannot be realized. There are a lot of exemptions, so, in my estimation, the maximum amount we can get from the E-levy is GH¢5 billion, and that is less than a billion dollars, so I do not think that the E-levy is going to be a panacea to our revenues. Going to the IMF will ensure some stability, and above all, we are going to get some $3 billion”.
The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Asiedu Nketia, also made a similar call to the government.
Asked whether President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo should go to the IMF, while speaking on the New Day show on TV3 on Monday, February 7, he answered, “I think it is something that they have to consider. If it is the only [way] that will take us out of this problem, then the earlier, the better.”
But Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, who had earlier stated that the government would not go back to the IMF, insisted that “I can tell you, as my colleague deputy said, we are not going back to the IMF, whatever we do we are not [going back]. The consequences are dire; we are a proud nation, we have the resources, we have that capacity, don’t let anybody tell you we are not people of short-sighted, we need to move on.”
The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has stated that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo have failed to earn the trust of Ghanaians in the management of the public purse.Â
He explained that in the real sense of the word, the NPP has not proven to Ghanaians why they should continually help it make money that never gets used for what they were promised.Â
Speaking to GhanaWeb on the sidelines of the Yentua Demonstration that was organized by the youth wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and other groups to register their abhorrence to the controversial 1.7% Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy), he said the explanations being given by the government do not suffice.Â
“First and foremost, they say they’re going to use the E-Levy to build hospitals. How many hospitals has he built from the 300 billion he’s borrowed? You had Year of Roads 1, Year of Roads 2, how many roads were built? How much can less than a billion dollars do for us in terms of hospitals and roads? It’s impossible!
“And so, when they tell you that this is going to be used to do infrastructure, it is not true: their track record does not support what it is that they claim they’re going to use the money for,” he said.Â
Sam Nartey George further explained that the more reason the NPP cannot be trusted with the E-Levy is because they have not shown faith with how earlier funds were managed.Â
“We have seen similar funds, we have seen the dissipation of road funds, we have seen the abuse of those funds. We cannot trust the NPP; they do not have a track record of trust when it comes to [the] management of the public purse,” he said.Â
Thousands of Ghanaians spotting red colours poured onto the streets of Accra on Thursday, February 10, 2022, to participate in the march through some principal streets of Accra.Â
The march ended at the Parliament House of Ghana, where a petition was presented to the Speaker of Parliament but was received on his behalf by the Majority Chief Whip and the Minority Leader in Parliament, Frank Annoh-Dompreh and Haruna Iddrisu, respectively.
Member of Parliament Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has mounted a spirited defence on the decision by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to compulsorily vaccinate persons eligible to do so upon arrival in the country.
The GHS, in a recent vaccine mandate, directed that all unvaccinated Ghanaians and people with residential status who will be returning to the country after 14 days from midnight Monday, December 13, 2021 will be vaccinated on arrival.
Similarly, all persons who are 18 years and above arriving in the country are required to provide evidence of full vaccination for COVID-19.
The move by the GHS is part of efforts to limit the importation of COVID19, especially the new Omicron variant at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
But this has received public backlash from some prominent personalities including the Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, who argues that the directive infringes on human rights.
However, reacting to the directive, Sam George tasked critics of the policy to stay at home if they do not want to be asked about their vaccine cards.
“On the vaccines, it is compulsory for all unvaccinated persons seeking to enter Ghana or attend mass public events. Why are people not complaining about the yellow card mandate? If you stay in your house, nobody would ask you for a vaccine card. Public health and safety trumps all,†he said in a Twitter post.
Sam George referencing Section 22 of the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851, further asserted that the government is clothed with the power to compulsory vaccinate people in the interest of public health.
“The Minister may by executive instrument, generally or with reference to a particular district, area, or place or with respect to a particular class or classes of persons, order the persons to whom the instrument applies who do not produce satisfactory evidence of successful vaccination, to be vaccinated by a public vaccinator, unless in the opinion of the public vaccinator the vaccination would be injurious to health,†he said.
The directive by the Ghana Health Service was fully implemented on Tuesday, December 14, 2021, at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George is not excited at how Police is handling the issue relating to a purported arrest of his fellow lawmaker, Francis-Xavier Sosu.
He insists that the Police are being lawless by the actions in seeking to arrest Sosu, who as a sitting MP enjoys some privileges.
Commenting on an October 31, 2021, statement by Police describing reports of the arrest as “untrue,” he picked on a point where the Police said any plain-clothed officers who may have been at the church premises where Sosu was worshipping may have been there to gather intelligence.
He slammed the Inspector-General of Police, George Akuffo Dampare and head of Police Public Relations, ACP Kwesi Ofori, telling them to tell their ‘intelligence gathering’ lies to Class 1 children.
“ACP Kwesi Ofori and the IGP should tell their fib to class 1 kids that the plain cloth officers were there to gather intelligence. Absolute bumble!
“If they claim they would use ‘legal means’ to interrogate all suspects, they must be guided by Articles 117 & 118 of the 1992 Constitution and Standing Orders 28 & 30 of Parliament,” he posted on Facebook.
His post accompanied by the Police statement also stressed the need to support the Police at all times when they play by the rules.
“I agree that we must support the Ghana Police Service to maintain law and order. However, we shall resist them when they act outside the remit of the law with reckless abandon and in a capricious manner unbecoming of officers of the law.”
He recounted his experiences at the hands of security professionals during the Ayawaso Wuogon by-election violence and said that had given him a “life mission” to fight for reforms within the Police setup.
“I have been a victim of the lack of professionalism and irresponsibility of SOME police officers and national security personnel and I have made it my life mission to continue to fight for reforms in what should be a model public service institution and I would rest not until we rid the Police Service of these despicable bad nuts.
“The Police is NOT above the Law!” his post concluded.
I agree that we must support the Ghana Police Service to maintain law and order. However, we shall resist them when they act outside the remit of the law with reckless abandon and in a capricious manner unbecoming of officers of the law.
ACP Kwesi Ofori and the IGP should tell their fib to class 1 kids that the plain cloth officers were there to gather intelligence. Absolute bumble! If they claim they would use ‘legal means’ to interrogate all suspects, they must be guided by Articles 117 & 118 of the 1992 Constitution and Standing Orders 28 & 30 of Parliament.
I have been a victim of the lack of professionalism and irresponsibility of SOME police officers and national security personnel and I have made it my life mission to continue to fight for reforms in what should be a model public service institution and I would rest not until we rid the Police Service of these despicable bad nuts.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has in the last five years spoken thrice on the subject of same-sex relations.
First was in 2017 during an Al-Jazeera interview, then early this year, at an Anglican Church function, when he said it was not going to be under his tenure that same-sex marriages will be legalized.
The most recent was during an interview on Peace FM where he said he was not intimidated by the subject but rather expected a civil conversation around it stressing that he believes Parliament will do a good job on it.
For Ningo Prampram Member of Parliament, Sam Nartey George, who is the lead promoter of the anti-gay Bill, the President will do Ghanaians a lot of good if he states his position for or against the Bill.
In an interview on the One On One show that aired on Metro TV earlier this week, (October 25), Sam George said he believed the President had seen or been briefed about the Bill for him to make an informed decision on whether to support or oppose or to support with amendments.
“I have heard the president speak but I think that one thing that I would have loved to hear the President say was his position expressly. He has seen the bill, is he for it, is he against it, is he for it with amendments or he is totally against it.
“I mean there are three positions on this Bill. I would have loved for him to give an indication as leader of our country. Where is his mind on this Bill? Then his AG can bring forward the amendments. His lawyer as President is the AG so we need to know,†he added.
Private legal practitioner and one of the influential persons who are against the anti-gay bill currently before Parliament, Mr Akoto Ampaw has said Ningo Prampram lawmaker Samuel George cannot lecture him on human rights activism.
Mr Akoto Ampaw said he has been a human right activist for years hence, Sam George cannot talk to him about rights and freedoms.
“Anybody who knows me and most of the people who are behind this press conference will know that we have been fighting for human rights and freedoms of our citizens for years and we have paid a price for it so I will not have the likes of Sam George trying to talk to me about human rights and national independence and so on.
“But we have a clear evidence of their group organizing in November, October last year an African congress with the World Congress of families, which is not a Ghanaian organization so he and his people should be last people talking about foreign influence. They will take refuge in the fact that we are being influenced by foreign forces, we know this trick, they are busy collecting funds from these same foreign people and governments so what are they talking about,†he told TV3 after a press conferefnce held by the group to register their concerns against the anti-gay bill.
Sam George had criticised the group including Akoto Ampaw and Prof Kwame Karikari over their position on the bill.
He described Prof Karikari and the entire group as a hypocrite following their submission.
Prof Karikari had said the bill which Sam George and some of his colleague legislators are promoting is dangerous because it seeks to promote hate for homosexuals in the country.
In his view, gays and lesbians are human beings and deserve to be respected and protected as any other person.
To that end, he said, any law that seeks to create problems for this group should be rejected.
He said this while speaking on the First Take with Dzifa Bampoh on 3FM on Monday October 4.
He said he and a few of his colleagues who are fighting for the rights of homosexuals to be respected in Ghana are going to hold a public forum to debate this subject.
“Hopefully, the media may also want to pick up the debate, debate them so that the public will instantly get to know the views that we hold and the views that the proponents of what we considered to be a dangerous bill also hold.
“We think we live in a democracy and we must be grateful to God that we live in a democracy so that whatever parliament, the executive or any branch of government does will be openly discussed and people can therefore take their decisions and then the lawmakers and the executives can also take some wisdom from the public debate.
“We know that most societies have prejudice against homosexuality, lesbianism and these other social practices. We are not at all surprised that the overwhelming majority have prejudiced or even hate these small minority of people in society. We have no problem with that. What we are saying is this.
“This law is setting up the minority up. Our constitution does not discriminate about humans beings unless the proponents of this bill, unless the 95 per cent who say they don’t like homosexuality, we want them to say that homosexuals, lesbians are not human beings. Are they human beings also are they not human beings?
“If they are human beings and they are human beings then we think that they are protected by the constitution so any law that is made to arouse, promote engineer and mobilize hate against that minority is against the rights of those minority people and should not be passed.â€
Speaking on the same programme, Sam George said “He has made so many sweeping comments and I expected that he would have been held to strict proof. His argument is hollow and if I was marking this as a script he will score an F.
“This is someone who says the constitution protects people, you [Dzifa Bampoh] read to him a section of the bill which provides protection for persons who identify as LGBTQ from extra judicial treatment and he tells you it is a hoax.
“This is the same person asking us to provide proof of the health challenges, the public risk that the LGBTQ community proposes and he is telling you that our bill is a hoax without any proof.
“Today 4th October, the head of the Ghana AIDS Commission, speaking to another media house in Accra decried the increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Ghana and the fact that HIV prevalence in Ghana is rising. In that interview, he was asked specifically which demographic is pushing this number up, he said men having sex with men. That is the empirical evidence. Now can you ask Prof Kwame Karikari and his cohorts what empirical evidence they have to say that say part of our bill is a hoax? Has he educated himself and has he read the bill or he is basically just running riot in town on the basis of their misconception?â€
The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill was laid in the House on Monday, August 2 and read for the first time.
Reading for the first time, a clerk in the legislative assembly stated that the Bill proscribes lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) and other related activities and propaganda or advocacy and promotion for same.
It also came to light that it supports protection for children and persons who are victims or accused of homosexuality.
Second Deputy Speaker Andrew Asiamah Amoako referred the Bill to the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Committee for consideration.
“For the first time, it is referred to the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for consideration and report,†Mr Asiamah Amoako, who is also the MP for Fomena, directed.
The controversial bill has already divided opinion in the Ghanaian public discourse.
While some, particularly the religious and traditional groupings, have supported the Bill and hopeful of its passing, others say it could incur the wrath of the international community against Ghana.
Samuel Nartey George, MP-Ningo Prampram, has indicated that, those who are for the anti-LGBTQ+ bill outnumber those who oppose it.
According to him, their argument is superior to the opposition and they have the facts to support their position.
In a post on his Facebook timeline, Sam Nartey George, who is a lead advocate of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill wrote:
“Those with us and for us far outnumber the few whose consideration is material. We have a superior argument. The facts support our position. We shall prevail.
“The will of the majority of Ghanaians shall prevail against all machinations and schemes. Do not be dismayed with titles or self-proclaimed accolades. They would count for nothing during the debates on the floor of Parliament. That is where the business is.
“We are on course. Victory beckons.â€
Some fifteen renowned individuals have sent a memorandum to Parliament to thrash the anti-LGBTQ bill before the house as it violates most of the fundamental human rights of Ghanaians.
The individuals which include legal practitioners and professors stated that aside from violating the key fundamental freedoms under the constitution, the bill also violates the dignity and inviolability of every person guaranteed under Article 21 of the constitution.
“The Bill violates the right to inviolability of the person. It violates virtually all the key fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution, namely the right to freedom of speech and expression; the right to freedom of thought, conscience and belief; the freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such in practice (which includes the freedom not to practice any religion); the right to assemble, including the freedom to take part in processions and demonstrations; the freedom of association and the right to organize- in essence the fundamental human rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.â€
The memo further noted that: “In addition, the provisions of the Bill violates the dignity and inviolability of every person, guaranteed under Article 15; it violates the principle of equality before the law, and the right to freedom from discrimination on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social-economic status, guaranteed under Article 11, as well as the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 18 of the Constitution. In short, the provisions of the Bill are so egregious in their violation of the fundamental human rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution that it beggars belief that it could be introduced as a Bill in the House of Parliament.â€
The team pushing for this include Akoto Ampaw, Prof Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh, Prof Kwame KariKari, Prof Kofi Gyimah-Boadi and Prof Audrey Gadzekpo.
The others are Dr. Rose Kutin-Mensah, Dr. Yao Graham, Prof Dzodzi Tsikata, Prof H. Kwasi Prempeh, Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, Dr. Kojo Asante, Akunu Dake, Tetteh Homerku-Adjei, Prof Raymond Atuguba and Kofi Ofei-Nkansah.
The issue of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender, Queer, LGBTQ+ continues to dominate the news with Ningo Prampram Member of Parliament being among the strongest advocates for a law aimed at conclusively outlawing the practice and promotion of same.
Sam George has used the media – traditional – but more of social media to drive his opposition to LGBTQ+ fending off harsh critique from a UK politician and a handful local entertainment industry players.
But while on Twitter, it has come to light that he went against platform policy for a post that stressed that LGBTQ+ was not a human right.
The platform had earlier flagged the July 24 tweet as legitimate in an email to the lawmaker but has subsequently removed it citing breach of platform rules.
See the tweet below
Why Twitter likely removed the tweet
Sam George has yet to comment on the deleted post even though his last tweet at the time of filing this report was of him celebrating Twitter for refusing to delete the said post after it had been reported.
It is also not known whether Sam George has been handed a Twitter suspension of any kind – which is usually the case. He has been posting on his Facebook page but last tweeted on July 24.
Among Twitter’s range of enforcement actions, the company employs the folowing steps. Labeling a Tweet that may contain disputed or misleading information, Limiting Tweet visibility, Requiring Tweet removal or Hiding a violating Tweet while awaiting its removal.
In the case of Sam George Twitter applied Tweet removal which guidelines read:
“Requiring Tweet removal: When we determine that a Tweet violated the Twitter Rules, we require the violator to remove it before they can Tweet again.
“We send an email notification to the violator identifying the Tweet(s) in violation and which policies have been violated.
“They will then need to go through the process of removing the violating Tweet or appealing our review if they believe we made an error.”
It is not known if Sam George was taken through this removal process and whether or not his refusal may have led to some ‘sanction’ relative to inability to tweet since July 24.
Social media giants, Twitter, have deleted a tweet by Ningo Prampram MP, Sam George after it ruled that the views contained therein were in violation of platform rules.
The deleted tweet posted on July 24 read: “I have been overwhelmed by the massive show of support even here on a ‘liberal’ platform like Twitter for our Bill on the LGBTQ+ menace.
“Homosexuality is not a HUMAN RIGHT. It is a sexual preference. Preferences are not absolute or unregulated. We shall pas this Bill through.”
That post attracted a response from a British politician, Seb Dance, who engaged in a heated exchange on the issue of same-sex relationships and the wider topic of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender, Queer, LGBTQ+.
Sam George is leading an 8-Member Private Members’ Bill which is titled: “The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, Bill 2021.”
Last Saturday, the lawmaker posted a screenshot of a communication from Twitter which said a tweet of his had been reported but that the company was taking no action because “it is not subject to removal under Twitter rules.”
“Accordingly, we have not taken any action as a result of this specific report,” Twitter said.
Sam George captioned the post: “So they want us to accept their perversion but cannot accept our opinion of their perversion. Thankfully the folks at Twitter apply some common sense and logic.”
But as at Monday, July 26, GhanaWeb’s checks showed that the said tweet could not be found on Sam George’s handle. In place, Twitter posted a message which read: “This tweet is no longer available,” accompanied by a link to a page explaining their range of violation enforcement in the event of a breach of platform rules.
Currently, the 36-page anti-LGBTQ+ document is at the draft stage and will be laid before the house and subsequently expected to be referred to the appropriate committee for consideration.
Sam George spent the better part of Saturday (July 24) on social media defending the need for the bill which he insists is a necessity in preserving the moral and cultural values of Ghanaians in general.
MP for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has restated that minority Members of Parliament will act in unity to protect the integrity of the party and the country at large.
His views were contained in a Facebook post last Sunday. His second in reaction to claims by some party insiders that their MPs were sell-outs and lacked spine in parliament.
George underlined his trust in the NDC caucus leadership and the 13 party members on the Appointments Committee as they get ready to vet ministerial nominees of president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“I am proud to be one of the 137 NDC members of the 8th Parliament. It is a responsibility and duty we individually and collectively hold dear. We would continue to act in unity in defence of our Party and Country against all aggressors,” he said.
He joins other members like Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa of North Tongu and Xavier-Francis Sosu of Madina, who have stressed the principled stance of their caucus in seeking the best interest of the nation.
His full post was accompanied by a January 7 video when NDC MPs sung the national anthem after armed soldiers entered parliament in the course of a chaotic speakership vote.
Members of Appointments Committee
The Appointments Committee has 13 members from each caucus. It is chaired by the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, with Alexander Afenyo-Markin as the Vice-Chair.
The committee includes, from the majority caucus, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Patrick Yaw Boamah, Dr. Mathew O. Prempeh, Henry Quartey, Bryan Acheampong, Mrs. Ursula G. Owusu-Ekuful, Ms. Patricia Appiagyei, Osei Bonsu Amoah, Alhassan Tampuli and John Kumah.
The NDC caucus is led by Haruna Iddrisu as the Ranking Member and Mubarak Muntaka as the Deputy Ranking Member.
The rest are Mahama Ayariga, Sampson Ahi, Eric Opoku, Ms. Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, James Agalga, Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Alhassan Suhuyini, Francis Xavier Sosu, Ms. Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahim and Ms. Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui.
