Former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has criticized the vetting process for three ministerial nominees presented by President John Dramani Mahama, describing it as a violation of Parliament's Standing Orders.
The nominees - Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson (Finance), John Jinapor (Energy), and Dr. Dominic Ayine (Attorney General) - were vetted on January 13, 2025.
Speaking in an interview on Wontumi TV, the veteran legislator questioned the legitimacy of the entire exercise conducted by Parliament’s Appointment Committee for nominees to the Ministries of Finance, Energy, and Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
He argued that the right procedural requirements were not met, making the entire exercise flawed.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noted that critical parliamentary committees, such as the Finance and Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committees have not been constituted to participate in the process as stipulated by Standing Order 217.
"The Appointment Committee should include members from the relevant subject committees, such as Finance, Constitutional, Legal, and Energy Committees, to evaluate the nominees. But as we speak, these committees have not been formed. How then did they proceed with the vetting?" he questioned.
He further explained that proper parliamentary protocol requires a timeline and public advertisement of nominees, giving individuals the opportunity to file objections.
These steps, he claimed, were overlooked. "When a president nominates someone, a timetable must be drawn, and the nomination advertised in newspapers. Anyone with concerns can petition Parliament. Depending on the urgency, the two-week time frame could be shortened to a week, allowing anyone with objections to submit a petition.
“However, none of these procedures were followed in this case. "Is it the case that John Mahama wants to manipulate Parliament, which is why he's doing this?" Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu quizzes.
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Comments
If Osei Mensa-Bonsu knows much about parliamentary procedures, why didn't he use them to secure the victory for his incompetent and disastrous government? When he was the Majority leader, he never criticized the violation of the Constitution of his political party because it was going in their favor, but now he sees something wrong because his party has lost power.