New ministers: Minority misled Speaker Bgabin on Dafeamekpor’s injunction – Afenyo Markin

Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo Markin has disclosed that the Minority misled the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin over the initial approval of the new ministers.

The approval of the ministers was suspended by the Speaker on Wednesday, March 20, citing an interlocutory injunction filed by the MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor at the Supreme Court.

According to Bagbin, this injunction rendered Parliament unable to sanction new ministers nominated by President Akufo-Addo.

This move came after a directive from the presidency, which issued a cease and desist letter to Parliament, restraining them from transmitting the Bill on Human Sexual Rights and Family Values to the Presidency for President Akufo-Addo's assent.

However, the Majority Leader in an interview with Bernard Avle on Citi TV’s The Point of View revealed that no application for injunction was filed as at the time the speaker was served with the process.

He insisted that the Speaker was misled, hence his pronouncement stating that they decided to let the lies of the Minority slide.

“How can you say that a matter that had been listed to be taken and for some frivolous reason, somebody files a court action, misleads the chair, that he has an injunction? We just decided to keep quiet on it. They misled Mr Speaker that they had an injunction, the issue of 20th March, Dafeamekpor filed a writ, at the time that Mr Speaker was served with the process. That writ, no injunction application had been filed, and I’m saying this on record.

“But they somewhat managed to create an impression to the chair that they had an injunction application, which led to the pronouncements made by Mr Speaker. But we all decided to let it slide and that delayed government business,” he disclosed.

He criticised the Minority for downplaying the activity that went on in Parliament after their request letter to the Speaker to resume Parliament.

“We don’t need ministers to superintend over those state agencies and departments? We don’t need to deal with this GARID project. People in Okaikwei North are benefitting from this, and the MP voted against this, that you don’t want the sanitation situation to improve in your constituency. All because of political convenience and all that. If these things are not urgent then what things will be urgent for government to consider?

The new ministers were approved by Parliament on Friday, May 17, after stiff opposition from the Minority. Ahead of the approval of the ministers, the Minority staged a walkout.

The Supreme Court on March 27, 2024, dismissed an application filed by South Dayi MP, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, challenging the approval of new ministerial and deputy ministerial nominees.

In a unanimous decision, a five-member panel of the court held that the application was frivolous and an abuse of the court process.

The applicant, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, had sought to halt the vetting process in Parliament pending the determination of his suit challenging the constitutionality of the President's decision to reassign Ministers without Parliament's involvement.

However, the Supreme Court ruled that the MP's case had no direct relevance to the nominees currently before Parliament, as it primarily concerns reassigned Ministers.

-citinewsroom