Former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, has expressed displeasure over recent comments by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who called on President John Mahama to apologize for his commitment to appointing 60 ministers if re-elected.
His remarks come as President Mahama continues to adhere to his campaign promise of maintaining a lean government.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on January 25, Mr. Fuseini criticized Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s suggestion that Mahama should apologize for his 60-minister pledge, describing it as unnecessary and politically motivated.
“We are not going to accept that. As a member of the NDC, the president cannot violate his own promise to the people. We resist that,” the former MP stated.
He further questioned the logic behind Afenyo-Markin’s comments, pointing out that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had also promised to reduce the number of ministers to 50 during the 2024 election campaign.
“Is Afenyo suggesting that Bawumia was not being honest with Ghanaians when he said he would work with 50 ministers? And that if Bawumia had won, he would apologize to Ghanaians and raise the number beyond 50?” Mr. Fuseini asked.
The former legislator emphasized the importance of trust and accountability in governance, stressing that political leaders must honor their commitments to the people.
“We are running a Constitution and a government that must clearly win the trust and confidence of the people. We have great trepidation about the way politicians in the political class toy with the lives of the people of this country,” he said.
He also called for decisive and bold leadership, arguing that Ghana’s development hinges on prudent management of resources and a commitment to fulfilling promises made to the electorate.
“We believe that this country can develop and develop with very decisive, bold-minded leaders. The things that we have been doing with careless abundance, if we take time to do them right, we can get them right,” he added.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s comments were made on the floor of Parliament during a debate on the approval of ministerial nominees on January 23. The Majority Leader argued that 60 ministers would not help Mahama’s political cause and suggested that the President should apologize to Ghanaians for underestimating the demands of governance.
“When we make mistakes, let’s admit them and apologize. Sixty ministers will not help your political cause,” Afenyo-Markin said.