Parliament Approves Nomination of Six Ministers Designate

By Julius Yao Petetsi

PARLIAMENT has unanimously backed the nomination of six persons as ministers and deputy ministers in the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led administration.

They are Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Information, Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison, Gender, Children and Social Protection, and Evans Bobie Opoku, Brong Ahafo Region.

The rest are Ms Paulina Tangoba Abayage, Upper East Region, Samuel Nuertey Ayertey, Deputy Minister, Eastern Region and Martin Oti Gyarko, Deputy Minister, Brong Ahafo Region.

The six ministers designate, nominated in August, were vetted in line with constitutional requirements last Friday and Monday, following changes President Akufo-Addo made to his government.

Presenting the committee's report on the floor of the House in Accra yesterday, chairman of the committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu said the nominees demonstrated depth about their new portfolios, and needed the blessing of the House for them to help the President in the execution of his mandate.

According to the Bekwai MP, the committee applied the necessary legal provisions in assessing the suitability of the nominees and that they were fit to hold their various positions.

Seconding the motion, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu said the nominees had the blessing of his side of the House, though he believed the President acted illegally in the nomination of the Deputy Brong-Ahafo Minister.

In the view of Haruna Iddrisu, Article 256(2) provides that the President appointed deputy minister in consultation with the substantive regional minister, and that naming the minister and his deputy for the region in the same letter to the House was wrong.

President Akufo-Addo in the August 9, 2018 letter announcing the changes in his government, with immediate effect, named Mr. Opoku and Mr. Gyarko as Minister and Deputy respectively.

"The President may, in consultation with the Minister of State for a region and with the prior approval of Parliament, appoint for the regional Deputy Minister or Deputy Ministers to perform such functions as the President may determine," Article 256 (2) of the Constitution states.

Interpretation the Constitution per his understanding, the Minority Leader said Mr Opoku should have been approved and sworn in to be consulted by the President in line with letter and spirit of the Constitution.

Stressing that the Minority was not against the nomination of Mr Gyarko, Mr Iddrisu said that as lawmakers, they ought to guard jealously the laws they have made for the country, to avoid the 'bastardisation' of laws by the executive.

The Tamale Central MP, Inusah Fuseini, said the President was obligated to consult the regional minister and that there was no evidence that the President consulted before appointing Mr Gyarko.

But, the member for Abuakwa South, Atta Akyea, said the interpretation of the Minority was not grounded in law.

Mr Akyea who is also the Minister of Works and Housing said the Minority was assuming the President did not consult when presidential consultations have never been made available to the legislature.

The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, defending the nomination, said the President was under no obligation to consult the regional minister in the appointment of a deputy regional minister.

He revealed that the President, prior to the changes in the government, consulted the then outgoing Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Asoma Cheremeh before nominating Mr Gyarko.

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