Minority MPs boycott Appointments Committee sittings

The Minority members on the Appointments Committee  of Parliament have boycotted sitting following concerns that they are being overstretched.

Parliament is expected to go on recess by Friday, April 7, however the Appointments Committee will continue vetting the remaining 50 deputy ministerial nominees named by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

While reading Parliament's business statement in Parliament last Friday, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, noted that the House was to rise on Friday prior to the Easter celebrations.

But the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu strongly rejected the move.

Haruna Iddrisu argued that, the recess should begin today [Wednesday], adding that the Appointments Committee could submit its report of the deputy ministers it had screened within the period for Parliament's approval, but the Majority Leader disagreed.

Parliament has so far approved eleven (11) Deputy Ministers for the various sector ministries, as well as ten Deputy Regional Ministers.

Below is the list of deputy minister nominees the committee is expected to screen between today and Thursday:

Nominees for Wednesday 5th April 2017 are:

1. Hon. Andy Appiah Kubi(Deputy Minister Designate for Railways Devt)
2. Hon. Maj. Derrick Oduro(Deputy Minister Designate for Defence)
3. Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum(Deputy Minister Designate for Education)
4. Hon. Eugene Antwi(Deputy Minister Designate for Works and Housing)
5. Hon. Barbara Oteng Gyasi(Deputy Minister Designate for Lands and Natural Resources)
6. Hon. Kwasi Boateng Agyei (Deputy Minister Designate for Local Gov’t and Rural Devt)

Nominees for Thursday 6th April 2017 are:

1. Hon. Patrick Boamah(Deputy Minister Designate for sanitation and water resources)
2. Hon. Dr. Sagri Bambangi(Deputy Minister Designate for Agriculture)
3. Hon. George Oduro(Deputy Minister Designate for Agriculture)
4. Hon. Vincent Sowah Odotei(Deputy Minister Designate for Communications)
5. Hon. Charles Owiredu(Deputy Minister Designate for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration)
6. Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah(Deputy Minister Designate for Information)
7. Hon. Ama Dokuaa Asiamah Agyei(Deputy Minister Designate for Information)
8. Hon. Tina Mensah(Deputy Minister Designate for Health)

NPP boycotts vetting of NDC ministers
This is not the first time an opposition party is boycotting vetting of Ministers.

In 2013, New Patriotic Party MPs on the Appointments Committee boycotted the vetting of ministers appointed by the then National Democratic Congress (NDC) government after they claimed that the election was not legitimately won by the NDC.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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