The Member of Parliament for Tamale North Alhassan Suhuyini has accused the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joe Osei Owusu of bias towards him.
Osei Owusu sitting as the Speaker of Parliament on Wednesday walked out the Tamale North legislator from the chambers for unruly conduct.
Suhuyini was said to have shouted on top of his voice during a debate on the minority’s boycott of the swearing in of the MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon Lydia Alhassan Tuesday during which some members of the minority displayed placards with the inscription ‘bloody widow’.
Protesting the demand on the minority by Osei Owusu sitting as the Speaker to apologise for the ‘bloody widow’ placard Suhuyini shouted urging the leadership of the minority not to apologize.
Suhuyini’s conduct was seen as improper and un-parliamentary by Osei Owusu ordering for him to be removed from the chamber.
But speaking to Starr News on the development, Suhuyini said the Second Deputy Speaker’s treatment of him was “terribly unfair.”
“What did I do? What did you see me do? Nothing that is unusual. In fact, he mentioned honourable Member of Parliament for Assin Central and asked him to shut up. He mentioned other MPs and asked them to shut up. But when he mentioned honourable Suhuyini he asked him to walk out.
“[That’s] terribly unfair,” he said.
The controversial bloody widow placard
Voters in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency in Accra on January 31 went to the poll to elect an MP for the area in a by-election necessitated by the demise of the incumbent MP Emmanuel Agyarko.
Agyarko’s widow Lydia Seyram Alhassan won the election which was marred by violence leading to the shooting of six persons believed to be supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Seyram Alhassan’s victory came after the NDC pulled out of the election due to the violence citing security concerns.
The Minority in Parliament Tuesday boycotted her swearing-in with some of its MPs displaying placards with the inscription ‘bloody widow’.
They claim she is a product of a ‘bloody process’ – in reference to the chaos that characterized her election last week.
The labelling has been widely condemned by Ghanaians.
Minority divided on ‘bloody widow’ placard
Minority Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak condemned the labelling of the new Ayawaso West-Wuogon MP Seyram Alhassan as ‘bloody widow’ by the minority caucus of the House.
Speaking on the floor of the House Wednesday, the Asawase MP said the action of his group was targeted at the wrong person.
“When people want to narrow it to our dear colleague Honorable Lydia Alhassan, let say that is very unfortunate because she does not control the security agencies, she doesn’t influence anything. We need cool heads and take the issues that have happened without trying [to] sideline the main issues with some of [the] people lying in hospitals,” he said.
But deputy Minority Leader of Parliament James Klutse Avedzi had in an interview with Starr News justified the decision of the minority.
“We did not take part in the swearing-in because we had issues with the election processes. Lydia is a product of a bloody process and that is the interpretation of what we had on the placards.
“Nobody should read any other meaning into the inscription. The election of Madam Alhassan and all that characterized it, (the shedding of blood) is what is being described as Bloody Widow,” he said.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
