SONA 2020: Minority walkout on President Akufo-Addo’s address
The Minority in Parliament on Thursday lived up to its words to boycott President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s State of the Nation Address if the government fails to pay their share of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund (DACF).
Members of the Minority Parliament, dressed in black, stunned the nation when they filed out the moment the Police band finished rendering the national anthem.
The opposition MPs launched onto a verse of the anthem “… and help us resist the oppressors rule” before walking out while the Majority side clapped them off with “away, away….”
To continue with the day’s drama, the Minority left behind a deluge of placards that speak to their concerns.
“Free and fair elections non-negotiable,” “Why a new voter’s register” were flashed to the cameras and plastered to the chairs of the Minority lawmakers as they walked out of the chamber.
With a gaping hole of Minority seats left empty, the Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku, quickly took to clearing the placards while some of his peers on the Majority side quickly dashed to occupy the seats of the Minority side.
As if on cue, the Majority MPs launched into song again, singing, “Abei mu ewia” a gospel song that means God’s promise had come true.
When he was introduced by the Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Aaron Quaye, to address the one-sided House, President Akufo-Addo did not comment on the incident.
But the signs have been on the wall since February 12.
The NDC MPs had warned that they would boycott the SONA as they suspected that t the government was deliberately embarking on that action to sabotage them ahead of the 2020 polls, by withholding the funds since September.
Minority threatens to boycott February 20 State of the Nation Address
But the Majority side took it with a pinch of salt.
Boycotting SoNA because of common fund “juvenile” – Dep. Chief Whip tells minority
But this is not the first time Members of a Minority side are walking out on a sitting President during a SONA.
In 2013, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members in Parliament, who were then the Minority, boycotted the State of the Nation Address delivered by the then President John Dramani Mahama.
The party, was at the time, disputing 2012 Presidential elections which President Mahama won, beating the NPP’s candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo.