Kufuor Rewards Adjetey?

Barley 72 hours after the failure of Right Honourable Peter Ala Adjetey to be re-elected for second term as Speaker of Parliament, there are authoritative confirmations that the 74-year old lawyer is in the list of those to be named by President John Agyekum Kufuor as members of the Council of State.

Credible sources within the National Executives of the NPP disclosed after the swearing-in ceremony on Friday January 7,2005 that Mr. Ala Adjetey will be a member of the next council of stated to share his knowledge and rich experience from the House to the President and his cabinet ministers.

Snippets of information gathered suggest that the ex-speaker's appointment by the president is in fulfillment of his part of the bargain with the Ga Caucaus in the NPP.

President Kufuor had agreed with the Ga caucaus in the NPP to compensate Mr. Ala Adjetey with a membership to the Council of State before the latter gave its assent to the president's nomination of Mr. Sekyi Hughes as a replacement for Mr. Ala Adjetey.

“ We can assure you in confidence that the former speaker who was once the chairman of our party will be in the Council of State” the source said.

Meanwhile insiders have blamed the former speaker for not lobbying for his reinstatement when he learnt that he might not be re-elected to chair the august House.

According to the insiders, if the ex-speaker had lobbied well and coupled with support of the minority, he could have been re-elected.

For the first time in Ghana's parliamentary history, the President's nomination of Mr. Sekyi Hughes was not approved by consensus as the opposing put up a candidate in the name of Peter Ala Adjetey.

In the ensuing secret ballot in the House, Mr. Ala Adjetey polled 96 votes while Mr. Sekyi Hughes had 134 votes.