Akufo-Addo's creation of new ministries illegal – Richard Quarshigah

Member of Parliament (MP) for the Keta Constituency Richard Quarshigah is accusing President Akufo-Addo of illegal conduct in the creation of new ministries and re-alignment of others.

According to Mr. Quarshigah, the president’s failure to publish an executive instrument on the new ministries before announcing their creation makes the move illegal.

He says the Civil Service Amendment Act 2011 requires that: “subject to the constitution, the president may by an executive instrument published in the gazette, establish a ministry or re-designate a ministry.”

Mr. Quarshigah says he has written letters to the Ghana Publishing Corporation and the corporation has replied explaining that the president has not sent to it executive instruments on the creation of the new ministries, hence the illegality.

“This makes all the new ministries he has created a nullity and all the ministries that have been re-aligned a nullity. Mr. Speaker, I could have chosen to g to court but I don’t want to cause this nation a colossal loss of money,” he said on Friday during parliament’s debate on the state of the nation address delivered by the president to the house on Tuesday.

“My checks even as at this morning indicate that Tuesday was when an executive instrument was sent to the Ghana Publishing Corporation and withdrawn same day to be re-submitted.

"As we speak, the Ghana Publishing Company has not received an E.I. from the presidency, neither has it been published in the gazette,” Mr. Quarshigah added.

NewPatriotic Party (NPP) MP for Okaikoi Central Patrick Yaw Boamah is, however, challenging the claim.

He told parliament: “The president has not created a ministry. He has appointed ministers responsible for specific focus areas. Those are not ministries. I find his presentation to the house very misleading.”

But Mr. Quarshigah tells Joy news there is more than enough evidence in the public domain to back his claim that new ministries have been created and old ones re-aligned.

He is asking the president to quickly ‘do what is right’ and cause the publication of an executive instrument which will clearly spell out details on the new ministries.

It would be recalled that the president after taking over power announced the appointment of 46 ministers to head a number of ministries including the Ministry for Zongo and Inner City Development, and the Ministry for Sanitation and Water Resources.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Joseph Opoku-Gakpo |Joy News