Ninety-eight (98) members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have renewed their calls for the dismissal of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.

If the President does not promptly fire him, they have threatened to boycott the upcoming 2023 budget presentation as well as all Finance Ministry activities.

You might remember that on Tuesday, October 25, more than 80 MPs held a press conference to call for the dismissal of Charles Adu Boahen and Ken Ofori-Atta from their respective positions.

As a result, he requested at a meeting with President Akufo-Addo that the Finance Minister be given permission to wrap up the IMF negotiations and deliver the 2023 budget statement.

Charles Adu Boahen has since been sacked by President Akufo-Addo after a latest investigative piece by ace Investigative Journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas implicated him.

Majority call

Subsequently, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu indicated that the call for the Finance Minister to be axed is from the entire Majority caucus.

“Even though the issue started with a group of 80-plus, the caucus meeting aligned with the decision of that group. So it is no longer the cause of the 80-plus group. It is the agenda for the entire caucus,” Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu told Journalists in Parliament.

However, the NPP MPs seem to have changed their minds about allowing the Finance Minister to present the budget statement. They want Ken Ofori-Atta gone immediately.

No Turning Back

The Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Andy Appiah-Kubi, who doubles as Spokesperson for the group speaking in an interview on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo' said, "we are not only going to boycott the budget presentation, we are also not going to be part of any business done through him and that is our position now".

"Yes, we are not part of the vote of censure . . . we want him gone, but by using a better approach and that is what we're doing . . . indeed we agreed to the President's request to wait but analyzing various public statements, especially from Ofori-Atta, it shows disrespect. It gives the impression that the President has no plan to dismiss him even after the budget presentation and so we've changed our mind; his dismissal should be now," he insisted.

The Asante Akyem North MP has further assured that they won't change their stand even if the President calls for another meeting.

"I can assure you that our current position won't be changed," he added.

Meanwhile, the Finance Minister is now facing a vote of censure from the Minority side of Parliament.