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Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, has warned the government to prepare for the worse if they plan to reintroduce the Agyapa deal in the forthcoming Mid-Year Budget Review.

According to him, the government's intent to see the Agyapa Minerals Royalty deal through will meet opposition even greater than the minority's opposition to Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy).

Muntaka added that the minority caucus will outrightly reject the Agyapa deal because the government has failed to address the issue raised about the deal when it first introduced it in the house.

“I just want them to appreciate one thing; you know we fought to get it removed from the budget, so one it’s not in the budget, well someone will say they may reintroduce it in the Mid-Year Budget Review. I won’t sit here and tell you what we’re going to do.

“They will have the most resistance ever had in any Parliament if an attempt is made to bring this thing, believe me. I’m not sending any threat, I’m only telling you that look any attempt to think that you can just come with Agyapa into this House, you should prepare for the worse,” he said on JoyNews’ PM Express.

Also, the minority chief whip, who is also the Member of Parliament for Asawase, said that the government has not been able to engage stakeholders properly in order to achieve consensus for the approval after the deal was withdrawn from Parliament.

Muntaka also bemoaned the seeming silence of opinion leaders on the Agyapa deal. He calls their silence, “loud”.

“Because you see we’ve come to realize that – I’m sorry to say this – a lot of the elderly so-called opinion leaders in our country, everybody has gone dead silent. Because of their huge and super loud silence, it leaves us with no other option than to take the fight and prevent Agyapa from ever happening into our own hands,” he said.

He indicated that for the deal to stand a chance in the House, a lot of things must change including its name.

“If they want anything about our minerals, one, change the name, two, let it go through the vigorous process of parliament where people can come, whether in the mining sector, nananom, people come give their view so that Parliament can own that we can do this,” he noted.