Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the former Majority Leader in Parliament, under the Akufo-Addo administration, has disclosed his elation over his resignation as leader of the caucus.
The humiliating defeat of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 2024 elections, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has said, would have hanged on his neck if he had refused to step down at the time the President asked him to.
He explains that despite calls by a section of the NPP MPs and Ministers at the time for him not to step down, he decided to resign in order not to become the cause of any confusion in the party.
“He (President Akufo-Addo) called some of the MPs and Ministers and planned that and when the issue was coming up, some of the MPs, over 80 of the 137 at the time, had appended their signatures that they’ve heard something like this was coming up and that I should assure them that I would hold and they will support me.
“Even before the President arrived at the said meeting to make the announcement, some of the Ministers had hinted to me what the President was coming to say and told me not to heed to it. They told me not to listen and that they were going to support me as Majority Leader,” he said on Accra-based Asempa FM Tuesday, March 05, 2025.
On whether the decision made sense to him at the time, he said, “Let this cup pass over me….I leave it for posterity to judge.”
“Especially, when I knew that if I did not step down, serious confusion would have erupted in the party. I am glad I did, otherwise, I could now be blamed for the massive defeat suffered by the party in the December 7 elections,” the former MP added.
Meanwhile, he explains that President Akufo-Addo had said the decision was meant to create “visibility for the party in the Central Region.”
“The President (Akufo-Addo) said they needed to enhance visibility in the Central Region and match up to Ato Forson and Jane Opoku-Agyemang,” he indicated.
In February 2024, the National Council of the New Patriotic Party changed leadership of the Majority Caucus in Parliament with Alexander Afenyo-Markin, MP for Effutu, taking on the mantle of Majority Leader.
The leadership changes were confirmed at a meeting led by the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong.
This meeting, involving members of the Majority Caucus and President Akufo-Addo, deliberated on recommendations from the National Executive Committee (NEC) concerning the leadership reshuffle.
‘I said no, I’ve had enough’ – Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu on why he resigned despite majority NPP MPs backing
