The Minority in Parliament has declared its decision to abstain from the vetting process of President Akufo-Addo’s nominee for Minister of State at the Ministry of Energy.

The Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah accused the Majority Caucus of attempting to bypass the established procedures and functions of the Appointments Committee.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Mr Buah asserted that the Majority’s actions could “deny the people of Ghana participation in the work of the Appointments Committee and undermine Ghana’s democracy.”

“Long-standing parliamentary practice requires that persons nominated for appointment by
the President shall be published in a newspaper of national circulation to inform, request
memoranda or representation from the public. This ordinarily means that the public ought to be given reasonable notice and adequate time to submit memoranda or make representations to the Appointments Committee.”

“These requirements have totally been breached. The Minority is at a loss as to the rationale for the indecent haste on the part of the Majority, particularly as there is a subsisting Minister of Energy and the nominee is already a Deputy Minister of Energy.”

Mr. Buah emphasized that the Minority will no longer participate in the vetting of any ministerial nominee, citing the need to reduce the size of the already bloated Akufo-Addo administration.

“Again, the Minority cannot support the President’s nomination for the Minister of State at the Ministry of Energy at a time when Ghana is going through very difficult periods, including crippling economic crisis, food insecurity, debt default, corruption, state capture and wasteful expenditures.

“It cannot be the case that while the government asks the people to tighten their belts, those in government would have no belt at all. Under the circumstances, the NDC Minority Caucus cannot in good conscience participate in the vetting of yet another injury-time ministerial nominee,” he noted.

Read the full statement below:

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