- "Because like I said no single Member of Parliament was searched, we don’t know what any MP had in his pocket, and I told a marshal that look if you go outside... I gave him the information, and anybody who care to know, I think one or two MPs were standing by the majority when I told them that look there are soldiers and police all around to protect you, to protect me and to protect the state tomorrow."
Dominic Nitiwul, the Minister of Defence, has denied ordering soldiers to invade Parliament to restore calm when MPs lost their cool in the chamber in the build-up to voting for a new Speaker.
The minister’s denial follows allegations by the NDC MP for Tamale Central, Ibrahim Murtala, that the Defence Minister ordered the military to invade the House.
Armed soldiers stormed the chamber of Parliament on Thursday during a melee among MPs as an argument broke out over where to place a ballot box to elect a new Speaker.
However, speaking to Joy News, Nitiwul, who doubles as the MP for Bimbilla, said that the military were already within the precinct of Parliament to protect the facility before the president’s inauguration.
“It got to a point that Members of Parliament themselves were a danger to themselves. A danger to Ghana. Any Member of Parliament could have used a knife or an offensive weapon on another,” the minister said.
Sensing danger
He added: “Because, like I said, no single Member of Parliament was searched, we don’t know what any MP had in his pocket, and I told a marshal that, ‘Look, if you go outside …’
“I gave him the information, and anybody who cares to know, I think one or two MPs were standing by the Majority when I told them that, ‘Look, there are soldiers and police all around to protect you, to protect me and to protect the state tomorrow.’ ”
According to the minister, the military may have invaded the chamber on sensing danger.
“In any case, if you need them or they sense that at a point the MPs are a danger to themselves, at least they will come and protect us, and … that was exactly what happened. Nobody called them,” Nitiwul said.
Fred Dzakpata
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