The African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) has noted that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament may resort to various strategies to frustrate government business, as a walkout alone would not yield significant results in the current parliamentary setup.

Speaking in an interview on Saturday, ACEPA’s Executive Director, Dr. Rasheed Draman, emphasized that the numerical balance in the 9th Parliament diminishes the effectiveness of walkouts as a political tool.

“Given the numbers that they [the NPP] have, I believe that they have lined up a number of strategies because a walkout in this Parliament is not going to achieve very much since quorum could still be formed without them,” Dr. Draman observed.

He highlighted how the current dynamics differ from those in the 8th Parliament when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority was better positioned to disrupt government business due to a more evenly balanced Parliament.

“For four years, we didn’t see the NDC, and in fact, they were well-positioned because they could hold government business to ransom in the 8th Parliament more than the NPP can do in this Parliament, but we didn’t see any of that. And one will ask, was that a weak strategy on their [NDC’s] part, that they didn’t speak for the same issues that are being spoken by the NPP?” Dr. Draman questioned.

The current NPP Minority, with only 88 seats compared to the NDC Majority’s overwhelming 180-plus, faces a significant numerical disadvantage that limits its ability to influence proceedings through conventional opposition tactics.

Dr. Draman also examined the traditional use of walkouts as a means to signal dissatisfaction, boycott debates, or draw attention to concerns. However, he reiterated that the success of such strategies is largely contingent on the opposition’s numerical strength and the willingness of the Majority to engage constructively.