The Minority caucus in Parliament has accused President John Dramani Mahama of breaching the Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463).
According to the NPP MPs, the recent appointments to the President’s office were made without consultation with the Council of State, as required by law.
The Council of State, which is mandated to counsel the President, has yet to be constituted following the expiration of President Akufo-Addo’s term.
The life of the previous Council ended alongside his administration.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, January 22, the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah, urged President Mahama to withdraw the appointment letter and ensure the appointments are made in compliance with the law after the Council of State has been constituted.
“The President shall, acting in consultation with the Council of State, appoint such persons as he considers necessary to hold office as presidential staff in the office. The interpretation section of the Act defines ‘office’ to mean the office of the President and Vice President, and ‘presidential staff’ to mean persons appointed under Section 4(1) of this Act,” Mr. Boamah stated.
He added: “Section 4(1) states that the President shall appoint such officers in consultation with the Council of State. We, as a Minority, believe the President has acted in breach of this provision under Act 463. We are, therefore, requesting the President to kindly withdraw this letter and act in consultation with the Council of State, which is currently not in place.”
“At the very least, this letter could have included a paragraph indicating that these appointments are being made pending the composition of the Council of State and would subsequently be regularized in conformity with this Act,” he stressed.