Majority dismisses Minority’s demand for re-vetting of 4 Deputy Ministers-designate

The Majority in Parliament has dismissed demands by the Minority in Parliament for a re-vetting of four Deputy Ministers-designate approved by the Majority side of the House.

Speaking to JoyNews’ Joseph Opoku Gakpo, NPP MP for Akim Abuakwa South Samuel Atta Akyea questioned the legal basis for which the NDC MPs are demanding a revetting.

He stated that the Deputy Ministers have already been approved adding that the Appointments Committee does not run at the disposal of the Minority.

Mr Atta Akyea said that “when you are supposed to be a committee member of the parliamentary committee, you have decided that this is a program we are all committed to. But, you abandon the work in the name of making Ghana green. I mean, why would you want to reverse the process?”

They are Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah, Deputy Minister-Designate for Local Government, Decentralization, Lariba Zuewira Abudu, a Deputy Minister-Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Amidu Issahaku Chinnia Deputy Minister-Designate for Sanitation and Water Resources and Diana Asonaba Dapaah Deputy Minister-Designate for Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General’s Department.

His comment comes after Minority MPs, Wednesday, walked out of the House as Parliament approved the four outstanding Deputy Minister designates. 

Speaking on the floor, Deputy Minority Leader James Avedzi who led the walk out stated that the NDC MPs on the committee was not part of the vetting process of these nominees adding that they joined the Green Ghana Project as directed by the Speaker.

Thus, the minority side cannot be part of the approval of nominees they did not vet, he added.

After walking out of the House, Tamale North MP Alhassan Suhuyini stated that the Minority will ask the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, to request the Appointment Committee to re-vet the candidates adding that the Chairman of the committee was informed about postponing the vetting for all MPs to partake in the Green Ghana Project.

“This, I believe, was a reasonable suggestion, from a side that does not intend to frustrate government business. Unfortunately, the chairman of the committee decided to convey a meeting of the Appointment Committee, without the presence of the minority on that said day.”

“And that is why we believe they did so out of disrespect and not just to us, disrespect to even the Speaker of Parliament and we hope, that the Speaker will request the committee to revet these nominees, if possible.”

Mr Osei Owusu stated that the members of the Committee present, on June 11, was sufficient for the vetting to proceed.

He added that the nominees had demonstrated they were qualified for their respective ministerial positions under the constitution.