Parliament suspends activities to mourn J.B.

Accra, Feb 10, GNA - Parliament , on Tuesday, called off all public activities to allow members to visit and commiserate with the family of the late Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu, MP for Abuakwa North, who was murdered the previous night.

A greater number of Members appeared in mourning apparel in the colours or red and black.

The House could not proceed with the Business of the Day after the reading of prayers and the corrections of votes and proceedings when its attention was brought to the cold-blooded murder of the legislator.

A parliamentary vetting of nominees for ministerial positions was also rescheduled.

The Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensa-Bonsu moved a motion for the suspension of the sitting before noon, while expressing his condolences to the bereaved family.

'We have to bond and bind together, visit the immediate family, and behold for ourselves what the circumstance might have been,' he said sorrowfully.

"I believe the entire House is not in a good mood to do business today'.

The Majority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mubarak Muntaka, on behalf of the Majority Leader, Alban Sumana Bagbin, extended sympathies to the nation, the entire House and the family 'for this great loss.'

'We know we'll die, but the circumstances of the death is the issue, ' Alhaji Muntaka said.

He narrated how his cell phone was inundated with about 32 missed calls, and he screamed after hearing the shocking news on radio.

'It is most shocking that we have to lose our colleague this way. I want to follow the suit of the Minority Leader; we can't be in this mood to transact business today. Let's go and sympathise with the family, ' Alhaji Muntaka said.

Speaker Doe Adjaho informed Members that he received call from the National Security Advisor of the gory incident.

Speaker Adjaho said: 'The mood of the House is very clear…. The House is not in the mood to transact business. The House adjourns till tomorrow.'

A minute's silence was, consequently, observed in memory of the J.B. Danquah Adu.

At the House, the family head, Mr George Amoah, who welcomed the Parliamentary delegation, briefed the Speaker on the incident, and informed the parliamentarians that the House would be informed of the traditional one week celebration.

The Speaker extended the sympathy of the House to the family, and gave the assurance that Parliament would participate in the ceremonies to mourn their colleague.

J.B. Danquah Adu, a chartered accountant, was initially elected to serve his constituency in 2005.

However, he lost his party's primary in 2008 and thus could not to return the House.

In 2013, he was elected again to represent his Constituency. GNA