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Following last week expos� by The aL-hAJJ on a �CHRAJ-type� wanton dissipation of state funds in the name of renovation and expansion works at Ghana�s Parliament with fingers being pointed at the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho, sources close to the august House have disclosed that the Speaker last Thursday abandoned the emergency parliamentary sitting and summoned a crisis meeting on the matter. While the meeting was called ostensibly to explain to all the players present that the renovation contract was above board and not tainted with any underhand dealings, the Speaker also used the opportunity to launch a scathing attack on the President, John Dramani Mahama, accusing him of instigating and sponsoring the report this paper carried on the renovation contract. He has also been accusing President Mahama of being behind some past stories The aL-hAJJ published about him (the Speaker) regarding his presidential ambition. Flamboyant Rt. Hon. Adjaho was also reported at the meeting with various Heads of Department and Directors in Parliament particularly those connected to the ongoing renovation of Parliament, and was emphatic, that nothing had gone wrong with the award and execution of the contract and expressed indignation �at the turn of events�; frantically blaming President Mahama of being behind what he refer to as �media attacks on him. According to insiders, the public servants present were bewildered by the Speaker�s accusation of President Mahama as they think the Speaker had gone too far and probably either being misled or just having mere suspicion against the President. According to our impeccable sources in the Legislature, on Thursday when the publication hit the newsstand, incidentally, the second and final day of the emergency sitting of Parliament, the Speaker, obviously irked by what he termed �smear campaign against him� excused MPs in the chamber to meet with various Heads of Departments of Parliament who are mostly civil and public servants. Their mission was to interrogate the issues raised in the Thursday, October 2, 2014 of The aL-hAJJ which was captioned; CHRAJ-Type Chop-Chop in Parliament� SPEAKER STANDS ACCUSED-Over Multi-million Renovation Contract. To the amazement and astonishment of the officers gathered in the Speaker�s office, after a brief �chat� over the allegations raised in the The aL-hAJJ publication, the former Ave-Avenor MP turned his guns on the President, accusing him of being behind the �bad press� he is getting these days. �He is the one behind all these, I know, but I am not bothered because my hands are clean�, he has assembled young and inexperienced people around him with the intention of destroying others, especially those he feels threatened by�, the Speaker was alleged to have opined. The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho has also been alleging President Mahama and his assigns have bought brand new 4X4 vehicles for some senior journalists in order to facilitate smear campaigns against his political opponents both within and outside the NDC. At the Wednesday emergency sitting of Parliament at the International Conference Center due to the renovation works at Legislative House, Rt. Hon Doe Adjaho who may have picked signals of the publication, and in an attempt to calm the anger of the parliamentarians over the alleged inflation of the cost of the renovation works, in his welcome address assured the legislators of greater transparency and cooperation regarding the renovation of the law-making House. Then, in his closing remarks after the two day emergency sitting of Parliament at the AICC, the no-nonsense Speaker, whiles reiterating his earlier pledge to the MPs to ensure transparency and early completion of the chamber of Parliament (by the end of this month), again rubbishes allegations of sleaze in the renovation works. In an apparent reference to the publication by The aL-hAJJ, overconfident Adjaho stated; �I disregard those publications that came in the media, they are unfounded and baseless, these are lazy journalists who don�t research�, they get information and just throw it out there�� Short of mentioning names but surely haunted by the allegations, Rt. Hon Doe Adjaho, while charging all Parliamentary committees to continue to perform their oversight responsibilities, noted �and I want to assure them that I will give them every support in that direction�. The Speaker�s statement on the floor of parliament, a source told The aL-hAJJ, was a �sieved� version of what he told heads of the various departments in Parliament. A recording available to this paper captured Speaker Doe Adjaho complaining bitterly about how the Presidency has contracted some media practitioners to mudsling persons he (President Mahama) feels uncomfortable with or perceived to be a threat. The Speaker among other things remarked �President Mahama is behind this� he has assembled some young and inexperienced� neophytes around him and he is trying to use them to destroy perceived opponents he feels threatened by�but I want to assure you that everything regarding the renovation of parliament was transparent. I will invite the Auditor General to carry out an audit to shame him and his boys including the media he has lined up against me�, adding; vengeance is of the Lord�.� A source conversant with what transpired at Speaker�s �image cleansing� meeting stated that, parliamentary staff at the meeting were dumbfounded and bewildered by Rt. Hon Doe Adjaho�s pronouncements with some of them murmuring after the meeting that �if there is any difference at all between the Speaker and the President that is a matter (for them) politicians, I don�t think it was right for him to openly discuss it with us.� It is not yet too clear if media reports early this year touting the Speaker to be lacing his boot to run for President is what has started playing out. Media reports early this year reported Speaker Adjaho to have met with the Volta region caucus of the NDC and some powerful blocs in the party�s World Bank geared towards the intended announcement of his presidential bid. He was alleged to have since been touring districts, inspecting ongoing government projects and visiting constituency executives of the ruling NDC party, a claim his self-appointed aides have flatly denied. However, party insiders are also said to be trying to make meanings out of the Speaker�s recent penchant for scolding the executive particular the President, with the slightest provocations. The latest was when the Rt. Hon Doe Adjaho publicly chided the President for announcing his reshuffle list in the media even before sending it to Parliament as demanded by the constitution. The aL-hAJJ last week reported how a CHRAJ Commissioner-type chop chop had hit the nation�s Legislature in a GH�20m renovation contract, which the Speaker is been accused of single-handedly controlling at inflated cost to the detriment of the nation. The project been undertaken by a Chinese firm, critics say was not in the best of public interest. Some Ghanaian local contractors who initially showed interest in the contract which was approved by the Parliamentary Service Board and the Public Procurement Authority but were turned down alleged Ghanaians are been shortchanged in the deal which Speaker is solely superintending. According to a local contractor, an air conditioning contract in the project which should have originally cost the state GH�3 million or ($850, 000) is now costing the nation over GH�7.2 million or ($2 million). This is said to be breeding serious consternation in Parliament and threatening the smooth running of the law-making House with some vowing to advise themselves if the Speaker continues to remain recalcitrant on their demands for greater accountability and transparency on the projects. Sources in Parliament have hinted this paper that the situation has brought about a strain in the relations between Speaker Doe Adjaho, the House leadership and indeed, his former parliamentary colleagues and if not resolved early could affect the smooth functioning of the august House. The former Majority Leader and now Minister of Defense, Hon. Benjamin Kumbour told The aL-hAJJ that he was aware of the approval for the project but before the actual commencement of works he was offered a new position as the Defense Minister by His Excellency, President Mahama. As a result, he pointed out that he was not aware of what happened afterwards. On his part, the Minority Leader and MP for Suame, Hon Kyei Mensah Bonsu, also while admitting knowledge of the approval given for the renovation works to be carried out which contract sum was priced in Cedis(which he didn�t disclosed) but indexed to the dollar noted that, he was later surprised when he was told the contract sum was rather indexed to Euro. According to him, as far as he recollects, the contract sum approved by the Parliamentary Board was indexed in USD to cater for future inflation and fluctuation but to his astonishment, while on his way out of the country, some payment documents brought to him for perusal were in EUROS and he couldn�t offer any challenge since the Speaker, the consultants to the project (more on the consultants soon) and some of his colleagues on the board have already given their approval. When this paper contacted the newly sworn-in Majority Leader, Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, he said he had just taken over the position and so was yet to be briefed officially on the renovation works. Stay tuned for more explosives.