Prior to the release of the 2023 budget, Mark Assibey-Yeboah, a former member of parliament for New Juaben South, called calls for Ken Ofori-dismissal Atta's "suicidal."
The dismissal of Mr. Ofori-Atta is being demanded by more than 90 members of both the Majority and Minority caucuses in Parliament.
If Mr. Ofori-Atta presents the 2023 Budget, certain NPP MPs have threatened to skip the presentation, discussion, approval of the estimates, and adoption of the Appropriations Bill.
The previous head of the Parliamentary Finance Committee urged the lawmakers to change their minds, stating that it would be harmful for the nation to fire the finance minister at such a crucial time.
Dr. Assibey Yeboah stated, "To what end? It will be suicide for the minister to be taken off at this important hour. What will we gain from it? It won't take this short time to vet and swear in a new minister, even if one is nominated today.
"That person will probably take the oath of office in 2023. The duties of the substantive minister cannot also be carried out by the deputy ministers. Even Parliament has the authority to refuse to hear a deputy minister.
To be clear, Mr. Assibey-Yeboah did not say he thought the President ought to dismiss Mr. Ofori-Atta.
Mr. Assibey-Yeboah stated, "I leave it to the President to remove or maintain him," adding that some NPP MPs who are asking for the Finance Minister's dismissal are not being objective and are personalizing the issues.
Mr. Assibey-Yeboah asserts that failure to complete the budget estimates and the Appropriations Bill by December 22, 2022, will have negative effects on the entire country.