Former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has revisited the long-standing controversy surrounding the presence of former Dome-Kwabenya MP Sarah Adwoa Safo in Parliament during the vote on the 2022 Budget Statement, hinting that he may one day disclose the identity of the person who allegedly occupied her seat.

The issue dates back to November 2021, when Parliament of Ghana was debating the 2022 Budget Statement and Fiscal Policy. During the proceedings, observers noticed that Adwoa Safo’s seat appeared to be occupied by a woman many believed was not the MP herself.

The development quickly sparked widespread debate on both social and traditional media, particularly because the legislature was operating as a hung Parliament, where the absence of even a single lawmaker could have influenced the outcome of key votes.

In an interview in March 2025, Adwoa Safo maintained that she was indeed present in the chamber, explaining that she had just returned from the United States after childbirth and was still recovering at the time.

However, the Tamale South MP suggested that the full story behind the incident may not yet have been revealed.

“The lady MP knows whom she spoke to; I probably wasn’t aware. But as Minority Leader, I needed to protect her seat. That was why I never wanted people to know who that person was,” Mr Iddrisu said in an interview on TV3 Ghana.

He made the remarks while commenting on recent developments involving the current Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, who recently withdrew and apologised for claims he made about recruitment into the security services after they were found to be unsubstantiated.

Mr Iddrisu urged the Effutu MP to exercise caution when making public statements, stressing that claims made by leaders in Parliament should always be supported by facts.

“The Minority Leader needs to choose his battles. If you read authorities in parliamentary jurisprudence, the truth must always rest with the Minority. So make sure when you’re speaking as Minority Leader, you’re certain that you cannot be contradicted,” he said.