NDC’s majority feels like a minority due to their ‘poor’ English

Fatimatu Abubakar, the immediate past Minister of Information

Fatimatu Abubakar, the immediate past Minister of Information, has claimed that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Majority caucus in Parliament appears to lack influence despite having superior numbers.

According to her, many NDC MPs struggle to express themselves in English, resulting in only a few of them speaking during proceedings, while their New Patriotic Party (NPP) counterparts, despite being fewer, articulate themselves fluently.

Speaking in an interview on pro-NPP Movement Television, Fatimatu Abubakar asserted that the NDC MPs on various parliamentary committees find it difficult to participate effectively because of language barriers.

“There is a saying that in all things, we should give glory to God because if this hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have learned a lesson. Someone told me, ‘Minister, it seems the NPP looks better than the NDC in power.’

“Now that we are in opposition, just look at Parliament. The Minority has turned into the Majority because of English. People are really struggling to speak English in the chamber,” the NPP stalwart remarked.

She continued, “NDC foot soldiers are crying on social media. Despite packing themselves onto various committees, when an NDC MP is called upon to speak, they often fumble with the English language. Some of their so-called superstars have also been relegated to the backbenches, all because of English.”

Before the 2024 general elections, the NPP held 137 parliamentary seats plus one independent MP.

Currently, the party’s numbers have dropped to about 88, leaving the NDC with over 180 seats—the largest majority in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.