Appointments Committee split heads over Gifty Twum Ampofo’s approval to Education Ministry

The Members of the Appointments Committee of Parliament are in disagreement over the approval of a Deputy Minister designate for Education, Gifty Twum Ampofo.

The stand-off occasioned the postponement of the approval processes for the second batch of the list of deputy ministerial nominees of President Akufo-Addo on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, June 17, 2021.

After the Abuakwa North MP's vetting on Thursday, June 10, 2021, the Member of Parliament for the Tamale North Constituency, Alhassan Suhuyini, announced his decision to kick against the approval of Gifty Twum-Ampofo.

He said his decision was based on the fact that the nominee did not give a satisfactory response on her alleged bribery of New Patriotic Party delegates ahead of the party's 2020 parliamentary primary.

“I'm therefore disappointed in the nominee's lack of candour and what seems to be a conscience that is dead to the threat of bribery and corruption to our democracy,” he said in a public post.

This led to the Speaker adjourning sitting for the leadership of both caucuses to engage and arrive at an amicable solution.

It is unclear if the Tamale North MP will stick to his guns to trigger a vote by the entire house on this particular nomination or drop his reservations to enable an approval based on consensus.

The House will sit today, Friday, June 18, 2021, to reconsider the report submitted by the committee.

So far, 11 deputy Ministers have been approved alongside one Minister of state at the Ministry of Finance.

—citinewsroom