Alan spoke extensively about his goals for the presidency and his ideas for changing the nation in a 17-minute speech that was televised to the entire country.
Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has responded to former president John Dramani Mahama’s recent accusation of corruption on the part of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The said allegation was contained in a Facebook post Mahama authored in the wake of Akufo-Addo’s statement at an event in Koforidua that Akonta Mining Limited was not engaged in galamsey (illegal small-scale mining) anywhere in the country at the time he was speaking.
The comoany is owned by Ashanti Regional chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Chairman Wontumi, real name Bernard Antwi Boasiako.
“It is unacceptable that President Nana Akufo-Addo has consistently put pressure on state anti-corruption institutions by announcing clearance of appointees and companies that are under investigation for wrongdoing,” Mahama said.
Mahama added that the actions and words of Akufo-Addo were inimical to the fight against corruption in Ghana.
In his response to Mahama, Jinapor stressed that Akufo-Addo’s six-year record in fighting corruption was better that the eight years of the Mills / Mahama administration (2013 – 2017).
“Permit me to assert, without a shred of equivocation that the record of President Akufo-Addo’s Government in the past six years of fighting corruption far surpasses the NDC’s eight-year record.”
He defended his view by stressing thus: “Needless to point out that President Akufo-Addo’s extraordinary funding of anti-corruption institutions, the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, which as I speak, is investigating this matter…
“… the passage of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), rapid investigations of allegations of corruption, and many more are testament to his remarkable record in the fight against corruption.”
The minister also reiterated that the Akonta Mining probe was still ongoing with the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) seized with the matter.
Now, the entire nation’s focus is on the two parties’ primaries for president and parliament, which will determine their parliamentary nominees and, most crucially, their presidential nominee for the 2024 election.
In the NPP, for instance, names such as the Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; the Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen; former Railways Minister, Joe Ghartey; the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto and the former General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyapong, have come up as potential flagbearers.
The NDC also has the likes of former President John Dramani Mahama; former Minister for Finance, Kwabena Duffuor and the former Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Kojo Bonsu, expressing their interest to contest for the flagbearership position of the party.
But one important factor that is mostly ignored in the elections of presidential candidates is who their ‘chief advisors’, the wives who have journeyed with them throughout their political careers and have become their true confidants, are.
GhanaWeb in this article takes a look at some of the wives of likely flagbearer candidates for the presidential primaries of the NDC and the NPP out of which Ghana’s first lady will emerge.
Lordina Mahama:
Nearly like the first possible First Lady on this list, Lordina Mahama, who is married to Ghana’s former president, John Dramani Mahama, who is largely regarded as the presumptive flagbearer of the NDC.
She, like her husband, quickly rose to the highest office of the land after the sudden death of the late John Evans Atta Mills in 2012.
Lordina Mahama left office on January 7, 2017, but with her husband looking to return as president, she could just return to the high office she once occupied.
She attended the Anglican elementary school and then proceeded to the Ghana Secondary School in Tamale, where she met her husband John Dramani Mahama.
She has a degree in Hospitality Management and a Masters in Governance and Leadership from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.
She also acquired a Master of Laws (LLM) in Business Law/International Business Law from De Montfort University in the United Kingdom in 2019.
Samira Bawumia
Samira Bawumia, the wife of Ghana’s current Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is one to look out for as a potential first lady with her husband being touted as one of the leading candidates for NPP’s flagbearership position.
Samira started her early education at the Answarudeen Islamic School at Fadama in Accra, before continuing to the Akosombo International School (AIS) and then to Mfantsiman Girls’ Secondary School at Saltpond in the Central Region.
At the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), she studied BA in Social Science in Law and Technology. At the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Relations (GIMPA), she was adjudged the Best Student in Master of Business Administration (MBA).
Mrs. Bawumia is the Ambassador for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and joins former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Academy Award-winning actor Julia Roberts, and Grammy-nominated musician Rocky Dawuni to work with the Alliance and its partners to raise awareness of household air pollution and encourage broader adoption of clean cooking solutions in developing countries in a bid to create cleaner environments and eradicate deaths caused by pollution from the burning of solid fuels for cooking.
Patricia Christabel Kyerematen
In the NPP, one of the names that are widely rumoured to vie for the position of flagbearer of the party, and eventually run as president, is Alan Kyerematen, who is the current Minister of Trade and Industry.
He is married to Patricia Christabel Kyerematen, whom very little is known about.
She was born Patricia Christabel Kingsley-Nyinah, as the daughter of Justice Joseph Kingsley-Nyinah, Ghana’s Electoral Commissioner during the 1979 presidential election.
They have two children – Alexander and Victor.
Nana Akosua Fosuah
A man who has, in the last few months, been touring the country and putting his face out there for the NDC is a former Minister of Finance, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor.
It would seem that just as nearly private as Dr. Duffuor is, his wife appears the same.
If her husband becomes president, Nana Akosua Fosuah would be Ghana’s First Lady from January 7, 2025.
Together with her husband, they have five children.
Efua Ghartey:
Joe Ghartey, a former attorney general and minister of justice and railways development minister is one of the leading members of the NPP who has stated his intention of running for the party’s presidential primaries.
Joe Ghartey is married to Efua Ghartey with whom he has 5 children.
Mrs Ghartey, like her husband, is a lawyer by profession and the two are the co-founder of the law firm, Ghartey & Ghartey.
She is the Chairperson of the Bible Society of Ghana and the Chairperson of the International Board of the United Bible Societies (UBS), which operates in more than 200 countries.
She is additionally the president of the Greater Accra Ghana Bar Association as well as a member of the Constitutional and Legal Committee of the New Patriotic Party.
Dr. Lawrencia Agyapong
The former General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyapong, who all other factors being equal will contest in the NPP presidential primaries, is married to Dr Lawrencia Agyapong.
The two have three fully grown children.
Dr Lawrencia Agyapong is an academic and is currently the Head of the Communications Department, as well as the research coordinator at the School of Graduate Studies at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ).
Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto’s wife:
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, a potential flagbearer for the ruling NPP, is married with seven children but little is now about her children.
Kojo Bonsu’s wife:
Very little is known about the wife of former Kumasi Mayor, Kojo Bonsu, who will be contesting in the NDC presidential primaries.
In 2016 he admitted that his marriage of 30 years was on the rocks and stated that he had a girlfriend.
The allocation includes GHC 111.16 million for employment remuneration, GHC 2.78 million for goods and services, and GHC 840,000.00 for capital expenditures.
The House allocated GHC 151.89 million, later revised to GHC 143.30 million, to the Ministry of Information and its agencies for the fiscal year 2022.
Out of the revised budget, the Ministry and its agencies expended a total of GHC90.38 million as of the end of November 2022.
Agencies under the Ministry of Information include the Ministry’s headquarters, the Ghana News Agency, the Information Services Department (ISD), and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
Vincent Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, who moved the motion for the approval of the Ministry’s budgetary allocation, said in his comment on GBC’s debt issues before the court that public resources could not be used to settle that and, therefore, the Corporation had to generate resources to settle that.
“…And, therefore, working with the Board and Management of GBC, we have been exploring ways by which an arrangement can be made to settle a part of the outstanding (debts), and then moving forward, there will be a new arrangement that will be in consonance with the law put in place,” he said.
“So, Mr. Speaker, we expect that between these two extremes, we would be able to bring an end to the annual debt issues of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.”
Mr. Sylvester Matthew Tetteh, the Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communication, and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ngleshie-Amanfro, said the Committee noted the achievement of the Ministry of Information regarding the government flagship programmes (GOVCOM) being implemented by the Ministry.
He said the programmes being implemented comprised the Minister’s Press Briefing, Mass Media Campaigns, Reach on Social Media, Nation Building Updates, and Amplified.
He said it was, however, noted that out of the Ministry’s request of six million Ghana cedis submitted to the Ministry of Finance for the implementation of the GOVCOM activities in 2023, only a paltry sum of GHC 600,000.00 (representing 10 per cent) had been allocated; stating that the Committee considered these programmes very critical to consolidate the nation’s democracy and good governance and should be continued.
“In this regard, the Committee implores the Ministry of Finance to source additional funding to sustain the implementation of the programmes.”
He said the committee noted the precarious financial circumstances of the Ministry of Information and its agencies, especially the GBC, and accordingly, strongly requested the Ministry of Finance to arrange additional funding to support their operations in 2023.
Contributing to the debate on the Motion, Mr Alhassan Bashir Alhassan Fuseini, the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communication, and National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Sagnarigu, said the Information Ministry had the onerous responsibility of having to sensitise the people of the country about Government Policies and programmes, as well as serving as the feedback.
He said the government could have the best of intentions; however, it still had to get the mechanisms for conveying that information to the people.
He said many of the agencies under the Ministry were dealing with obsolete equipment and that there was a need for the government to do more to retool them.
Mr. Iddrisu Haruna, the Minority Leader in Parliament and NDC MP for Tamale South, noted in his contribution that the Minister of Information needed support in order to communicate the government and its policies well.
He said he was disappointed at what he was seeing in terms of budgetary allocation and budgetary resources for the Ministry of Information.
He called for the repositioning of the GBC, like the BBC and CNN, to make sure that the GBC itself functioned more effectively on a digital platform.
The minority leader said GBC was very capable of making it if given the needed support by the government.
The National Youth Wing of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has denounced the violence displayed by some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the party’s Youth and Women Conference last Saturday, December 10, 2022, which was held at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Cape Coast.
In a statement dated December 12, 2022, and signed by NPP’s National Youth Organiser, Salam Mustapha, he described the images and videos of the violence as both shocking and disturbing, adding that it is hard to understand the reason for the violence at a conference of that nature.
The statement also expressed disappointment that the leadership of the NDC has not condemned its members and apologized for the misconduct of its members.
“It is difficult to comprehend how a supposed-to-be conference to elect leadership for their wings, will witness a gathering of gun cum machete-wielding thugs and vigilantes at the precincts of UCC, an intellectual hub. Elections are about ballots and not bullets,” the statement said in part.
The NPP Youth Wing then called on the police to pursue and arrest all persons involved in the violence and prosecute them to deter others engaging in the same misconduct.
Videos of the violence at the conference in Cape Coast show people engaged in fights, hurling chairs and other objects at one another. Gunshots were also reportedly heard. Notwithstanding, the conference took place and the leadership for the youth and women of the NDC were elected.
The NPP claims that it recalls the NDC failing to provide any supporting documentation for its claims in the Supreme Court petition about the 2021 election.
“This is what the NDC has repeated in the Techiman South petition,” the Director of Communications of the NPP, Mr. Richard Ahiagbah, said.
“They claim the election was rigged but failed to provide any evidence to justify that claim which was the basis for the attack on the Electoral Commission and the reported death,” he added.
Mr. Ahiagbah said this in a tweet after the Wenchi High Court ruled on the Techiman South Constituency parliamentary election petition case on Wednesday, 30 November 2022.
The Wenchi High Court affirmed Mr Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, as the duly elected Member of Parliament of the Techiman South Constituency.
Mr Ahiagbah admonished the NDC to stop going to court without evidence going forward.
He further stated that all this could have been avoided if the NDC had done what was right and accepted the results that were transparently counted, collated, and declared.
He concluded that the man who lost his life would have been alive today had the NDC not played to the gallery.
The Majority Caucus in Parliament has mended all cracks in their front ahead of the November 24 reading of the 2023 Budget Statement by embattled Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
A meeting between the lawmakers and leaders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was held on November 23 at which a number of agreements were reached.
The main points are that the Minister will be supported in presenting the budget and seeing through its appropriation as well as be allowed to see through the current phase of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, IMF.
The meeting comes on the back of a renewed call by some 98 NPP MPs who had threatened to boycott the budget presentation if Ofori-Atta appears to present it.
A statement co-signed by Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh and NPP General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong read in part: “At a meeting this evening, the 22 of November 2022, involving the Majority Caucus, the Leadership of the Party and the Council of Elders, it has been agreed by all to refocus and recline to the earlier position requested by the President.”
The three broad areas agreed on were as follows
1. The demand be stood down until the conclusion of the round of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which would feed into the 2023 Budget;
2. The presentation of the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy on the 24th November 2022 by the Finance Minister on behalf of the President; and
3. The subsequent presentation and passage of the Appropriation Bill
“The meeting agreed that the President would act upon the initial request of the NPP Parliamentary Caucus after the conclusion of these matters,” the statement added.
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Find the full statement below:
22nd November 2022.
RESOLUTION OF IMPASSE IN THE NPP PARLIAMENTARY GROUP.
Over the past two weeks, especially, after the President had engaged the Majority Caucus over calls for the ouster of the Minister of Finance as well as the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and a statement on the engagement had been issued, the country has, witnessed a heightened public/media discussion on same subject matter.
There have been occasional individual interventions some of which have not helped the resolution of the issue in contention. On the other hand, some of these interventions have contributed to escalate tensions and suspicions.
At a meeting this evening, the 22 of November 2022, involving the Majority Caucus, the Leadership of the Party and the Council of Elders, it has been agreed by all to refocus and recline to the earlier position requested by the President, to wit:
1. The demand be stood down until the conclusion of the round of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which would feed into the 2023 Budget;
2. The presentation of the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy on the 24th November 2022 by the Finance Minister on behalf of the President; and
3. The subsequent presentation and passage of the Appropriation Bill
The meeting agreed that the President would act upon the initial request of the NPP Parliamentary Caucus after the conclusion of these matters.
In the meantime, the Leadership of the Parliamentary group and the Leadership of the Party counselled the Honourable Members of the Parliamentary Party to resort to the Caucus ‘communication channels and, to the largest extent possible, work together as one Caucus unit.
Leadership and the Party in this regard call upon the Members of Parliament to attend to all Government Businesses in the House including, in particular, the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy and all connected matters.
SIGNED
HON. ANNOH-DOMPREH, (MP) MAJORITY CHIEF WHIP, PARLIAMENT OF GHANA
JUSTIN KODUA FRIMPONG, GENERAL SECRETARY NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY
The National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Stephen Ayensu Ntim, on Tuesday, 22nd November 2022, inaugurated the various Standing and Ad-hoc Committees of the party’s National Council.
The said solemn event came off at the party headquarters, Asylum Down, Accra.
Having taken the relevant oaths which were administered by the National Chairman, members of the various committees are expected, under the party constitution, other applicable laws and regulations, to assist the National Executive body in administering the party.
In his brief remarks, Chairman Stephen Ayensu Ntim congratulated the members of the committees, whom he said, were all carefully chosen by the National Council on the basis of their proven experience, competence, and expertise in the various committees they have been appointed to serve on. He thus, implored them to work assiduously to justify the confidence reposed in them by the Party.
The General Secretary of the party, Justin Kodua Frimpong, also congratulated the members of the various committees on their deserving appointments and took the opportunity to remind them of their responsibilities and the huge expectations of the Party. He noted that the committees are expected to meet regularly and present a report to the National Council as required by the party’s constitution.
Speaking on behalf of the committees, Hon. Osei Bonsu Amoah, Chairman of the Research Committee, thanked the party Leadership for the confidence reposed in them. He said it was an honour for them to be chosen among the many qualified persons in the party, and therefore, gave a firm assurance that they would not disappoint the party.
The Standing Committees that were inaugurated in accordance with Article 10(3) of the Party Constitution were: the National Disciplinary Committee, Finance Committee, Organization Committee, Research Committee, and Constitutional and Legal Committee.
The Ad-hoc Committees that were inaugurated included the Welfare and Communications Committees.
Find below the composition of the various committees:
NATIONAL DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE
1. Hon Kwasi Amoako Atta (Chairman)
2. Dr. Gladys Norley Ashitey
3. Mabel Sarpong
4. Robert Kutin Jnr.
5. Ing. Akwasi Abeasi
6. Hon. Patrick Boamah
7. Hon. Sheila Bartels
8. Mr. Kwaku Osei Asare
FINANCE COMMITTEE
1. Mr. Abankwa Sekyere (Chairman)
2. H.E Amb. Edward Boateng
3. Dr. Charles Dwamena
4. Madam Adelaid Ahwireng
5. Nana Adwoa Dokua
6. Madam Janet Ananse
7. Mr. Ernest Akore
1. Lord Oblitey Commey (Chairman)
2. Henry Nana Boakye
3. Mr. Samuel Awuku
4. Hon. Eric Nana Agyemang Prempeh
5. Hon. Ali Maiga Halidu
6. Hon. Catherine Afeku
7. Ali Suraj
RESEARCH COMMITTEE
1. Hon. Osei Bonsu Amoah (Chairman)
2. Dr. Antoinette Tsibu Darko
3. Laurette Korkor Asante Otchere Esq
4. Dr. Nyame Baafi
5. Mr. Ernest Kumi
6. Mr. Matthew Kyeremeh
7. Dr. Owusu Mensah
8. Dr. Tina Abrefa
9. Amma Frimpongmaa
10. Mr. Peter Oteng Darko
11. Dr. Kingsley Agyeman
12. Mohammed Tahiru
13. Ayisha Salifu
14. Evans Nimako
15. Sharika A. Isahaku
16. Hajia Rukaya Ahmed
17. Albert Bediako
18. Nelson Owusu Ansah
COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE
1. Nana Akomea (Chairman)
2. Madam Oboshie Sai Coffie
3. Dr. Kabiru Mahama
4. Yaw Adomako Baafi
5. Kofi Ofosu Nkansah
6. Hon. Davis Opoku Ansah
7. Richard Ahiagba
8. Dennis Aboagye
9. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
10. Kwabena Sarpong
11. Hon. Ben Ayeh
12. Mr. Akwasi Afriyie
13. Hon. Titus Glover
14. Mr. Yofi Grant
15. Hon. Dr. Stephen Amoah
16. Mr. Kwabena Kwakye
17. Frances Essiam
18. Maame Afia Akoto
WELFARE COMMITTEE
1. Madam Rita Asobayire (Chairperson)
2. Dr. Charles Dwamena
3. Mr. William Yamoah
4. Madam Vida Dugbartey
5. Mr. Samuel Yeboah
6. Madam Kate Gyamfua
7. Madam Mary Porsch Oduro
8. Mr. Kwabena Frimpong
9. Bella Ofori
10. Madam Afua Gyekyewaa
Dr. Kwame Asah Asante, a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, has criticised the inconsistency of the over 80 New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) calling for the resignation of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to him, the MPs appear to be unsure of what they want, and their stance on Ofori-discharge Atta’s has shifted.
Dr. Asante stated in an interview that if the MPs do not stick to their demands, Ghanaians, including their constituents, will stop taking them seriously.
“At first, 80 NPP MPs, including my classmate Andy Appiah, were demanding that Ofori-Atta and Adu Boahen be sacked by the president and threatened to stay off government business if their demands were not heard.
“Then just a few days later they came and said they met the president and that they have agreed to let the finance minister prepare and read the 2023 budget as well as finish the negotiations with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) before he is sacked. Then the majority leader, who was speaking in an interview with Joy (FM), said that all the majority MPs are on board with the sacking of Ofori-Atta.
“Now the NPP MPs (anti-Ofori-Atta MPs) are now saying that they are back to their original position. My question to the NPP MPs calling for Ofori-Atta’s head, who say they are now 98, is: what exactly do they want? Because I’m starting to get confused,” he said in Twi.
“If they are going to be cold, they should be cold, and if they want to be hot, they should be hot.” They should stop going back and forth. What they are doing now has consequences. It will get to a point where nobody, including their constituents, will listen to them,” he added.
Meanwhile, the over 80 NPP MPs who demanded that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo relieve Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta have reaffirmed their decision.
According to the MPs, they are not in agreement with President Akufo-Addo’s request for Ofori-Atta to read and see the 2023 budget through appropriation.
The MP for Effiduase-Asokore, Nana Ayew Afriyie, who spoke on behalf of the over 80 NPPs at Parliament on Thursday (November 10), said that they have decided that Ofori-Atta should not be the one to read the budget or lead the subsequent process.
The Deputy Minister for Energy, Andrews Egyapa Mercer, made this announcement while reacting to calls that fuel prices will be increased next week in the next pricing window.
He said the government has stepped up the talks with the oil producers in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arabs Emirates.
The deputy minister who is also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Sekondi Constituency in the Western Region made this announcement while speaking on Accra-based Joy FM’s 6 a.m. news on Friday, November 11, 2022.
There are incessant price hikes in diesel and petrol.
Diesel is selling for more than GH¢23, while the price of petrol is hovering around GH¢18
There is an expected showdown inparliament on Thursday, November 10, 2022, as a vote of censure motion tabled by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament is considered.
The vote of censure is against the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, on the grounds of mismanagement of the economy, alleged withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund, and illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, among other reasons.
But it has emerged that there is a mysterious coincidence between the day, November 10, 2022, and November 10, 1999.
According to the Minority Chief Whip in Parliament and Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, the vote of censure to be undertaken on Thursday, 2022, will be a repetition of what happened on the same day in 1999.
He stated that in 1999, the vote of censure was against the Minister of Finance at the time, Kwame Peprah, although it was unsuccessful.
“I’m very hopeful that yes, in 1999, on the same date, November 10 1999, there was a vote of censure on Kwame Peprah even though it didn’t succeed because the then majority, which was our side, had a huge number, so they first amended the motion, and it didn’t succeed,”
He, however, expressed confidence in their planned motion on Thursday, November 10, 2022.
“I am confident although we were never able to elect a Speaker from the opposite, we were able to do it through secret ballot; I’m very confident we’ll make another history by using the secret ballot to remove a sitting minister,” he added.
The motion for a vote of censure by the NDC MPs was filed on October 25, 2022, to be debated upon and voted on 14 days after its receipt by the Speaker of Parliament.
Members of Parliament (MPs) from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who have called for the resignation of Finance Minister have refused to join their minority colleagues in a vote of censure in this regard.
This announcement was made during a press conference in parliament on Thursday, November 11, 2022.
They insist that, while they will continue to call for the resignation of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, they will do so solely on their terms.
Addressing the media on November 11, 2022, the NPP MPs said their decision to refrain from supporting their colleagues on the other side of parliament is based on the premise of their calls for the sack of Mr. Ofori-Atta which they say is based on falsehood and propaganda.
“We are here to reiterate that, however much you heard us speaking that based on the intervention of the president, we will have to see the minister of finance do his work, read budget, see through appropriation and then the president will act.
“Over the days, we have heard the finance minister speaking and his speaking has influenced majority of us in the caucus, not only to state that we are back to the original position that we took, and that position is that the minister of finance must not be the one to read the budget, and must not be the one that would do the appropriation.
“We are here to tell you this morning that this will be very soon for you to see, the position of us and we are going to be positively defiant about that posture until that action is taken. However, we are not going to support the cause of the NDC in the chamber this morning.
“The cause of the NDC is premised on falsehood, propaganda and reasons that are not justifiable. Their position might look like ours but is not the same.”
This comes following a decision by some 80 MPs to call for the sacking of the Finance Minister.
The group of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliamentpetitioned president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during a presser on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, to sack the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Minister of State at the finance ministry, Adu Boahen, to restore public confidence in the economy.”
The group said it will not do business with government nor support the 2023 Budget if the president fails to heed their calls.
According to them, the move follows previous concerns sent to the government that have not yielded any positive results.
Akufo-Addo’s meeting with NPP MPs and Vote of censure:
A meeting with the president following the demands by the NPP MPs meant that they had to stand down their request on two conditions.
The conditions included that Ofori-Atta is allowed to conclude the current phase of financial support negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and also to present the 2023 budget and see to the passage of the appropriation bill before their removal request will be acted upon.
It was on the same day that the Minority Caucus filed a censure. Their leader, Haruna Iddrisu assured the House days ago that the Minority Caucus he leads in Parliament will fully pursue a censure vote initiated against Ofori-Atta.
Speaking on the floor of the House on Tuesday, November 1, 2022; Haruna reiterated having issued a nine-line whip for members of his caucus when the day of voting comes, affirming that he will move the motion before November 10.
Haruna Iddrisu, after confirming that the motion will be filed also called on MPs in the Majority to join them to remove Ofori-Atta.
“I will move the motion for the censure of the Minister for Finance, Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta. Those like-minded persons who will dance with us, Mr. Speaker, they will be welcomed in the secret ballots,” Haruna stressed.
Voting today:
Parliament will require a vote with 2/3rd of MPs to decide the fate of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
With the current stance of the group from the Majority Caucus,it remains unclear what the outcome of this vote of censure will be.
A flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for the scrapping of the four-year ex-gratia payments.
Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyepong said the country did not have the needed resources to honour that arrangement.
The former General Secretary of the NPP said there should be arrangements where Members of Parliament for instance could be offered “something little” at the end of their term in office instead of giving them lump sums every four years under the current system.
“Ex-gratia should be like a parachute payment. When you have served your country like a Member of Parliament…it’s a difficult assignment. I would say it is like marriage. When you elevate a lady to a certain level as a wife and you want to leave, that’s why they let you pay alimony,” he said in an interview in Accra.
“It cannot be right on any moral standing. We should stop it immediately. We don’t have the money as a country,” Mr Agyepong added.
Ex-gratia payments are regarded as part of the end-of-service benefits for a certain class of public servants — and it is paid every four years.
The category of workers who benefit from ex-gratia payment is Article 71 office holders made up of the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice and other Justices of the Supreme Court of the country.
The rest are Parliamentarians, Ministers of State, political appointees and public servants with salaries charged to the Consolidated Fund, but enjoying special Constitutional privileges.
There have been conflicting arguments about the essence of the payment of ex-gratiato Article 71 Office holders, with some commentators and Governance experts describing the practice as an “unfair arrangement.”
The debate resurrected when it emerged that Togbe Afede, the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, returned an amount of GHS350,000 paid to him as ex-gratia for serving as a Member of the Council of State.
Togbe Afede described the amount as “outrageous” saying it was “inappropriate for a short, effectively part-time work.”
Nana Adjei Ampofo, a former member of the Council of State also called for a review of the payment of ex-gratia to members of the Council to meet the economic realities of the day.
Former President John Dramani Mahama recently pledged to implement the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Committee as well as review ex-gratia payments in the next NDC administration.
Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Freddie Blay says he has no challenges defending the four accomplices of Aisha Huang via his law firm.
He says he feels good about it because it indicates that there is rule of law in the country. He was speaking on Accra-based Joy FM.
Meanhwile, Blay & Associates, the law firm belong to former National Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Freddie Blay, has explained its decision to defend four accomplices of Aisha Huang, who was arrested for her alleged involvement in illegal small-scale mining, in court.
On Tuesday, October 11, it came to light in court that Blay & Associates is representing the suspects.
This attracted flak from persons including Director of Legal Affairs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Abraham Amaliba, who indicated that “On this matter of ‘galamsey’, considering the fact that there are accusations and fingers pointing at government officials to be complicit in this ‘galamsey’ issue, if you have government lawyers, already Nkrabeah Effah Dartey is known to be connected with the NPP, now to have the immediate past Chairman of the NPP joining forces to defend these ‘galamseyers’, it gives the impression that yes government, as it were, is not interested in fighting the menace”.
But in a statement responding to these concerns, Blay & Associates said: “It has come to our attention that there has been some misconceptions and the deliberate misconstruction of our decision to represent our clients in the case of the Republic Vs Shi Yang, Shi Meizhi, Li Wei Zuo and another (Our Client), we as a firm will like to clarify these issues.
BLAY • ASSOCIATES
“To us, it would seem that our clients are collateral victims of a matter that is of great national concern. We understand the deep seated anger and sentiment on any story on illegal mining evokes in Ghanaians. Even worse is when those accused are foreign nationals because of the extensive degradation and pollution of water bodies laid at their door steps.
“At Blay & Associates however, we believe in the inviolability of the judicial system. Blay & Associates is a firm that seeks to promote justice, ensure fair trial and seek to give fair representation.
“We as firm believers in our great 1992 Constitution of Ghana agreed to defend these clients having in mind these principles.”
Speaking on Joy News’ NewsFile programme monitored by GhanaWeb on Saturday (October 10), Dr. Tamakole warned that if a state of emergency is not declared soon, ‘galamsey’ will lead to the collapse of Ghana.
“Where we have reached with this thing, I believe it is time a decision is taken. And if a decision is not taken, this poor country called Ghana will faint. Because at the moment, the country is bleeding profusely.
“I will say if we really want to solve this problem, the state in which we are now is a state that we need what we call a declaration of a state of emergency, immediately. This must be put on military footing, and I can assure you, this will completely end this crisis,” he said.
Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe said that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo currently seems not to know what he is doing.
“It appears the president, at the moment, does not know exactly where he is going. It is so sad. I say it is so sad because I have backed him all my lifetime in politics, so I don’t see why he can’t take such an easy decision. The president I know who could say no and his no was his no, now cannot take decisions,” he noted.
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has refuted suggestions that his government is not committed to the fight against illegal small-scale mining (‘galamsey’).
According to Akufo-Addo, his government has been committed to the fight against the menace since his first day in office and its determination to curb it even cost his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), some votes in the 2020 General Elections.
The president, who made these remarks at a meeting with the National House of Chiefs and some Municipal Metropolitan and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Kumasi, intimated that the votes he and his party lost showed that he really put his presidency on the line to fight ‘galamsey’.
“Since I took office on January 7th, 2017, nearly six years ago, I have made it a central feature of my presidency to lead in the fight to rid our country of this menace, which we all now call galamsey. Indeed, it was an important aspect of my inaugural address that day. It has not been easy; it has not been popular and we have not gotten the immediate results that I was looking for.
“Indeed, in the last election of 2020, my stance on the issue cost my party and I significant losses in the mining communities. It turned out that my statement that I was putting my presidency on the line in the fight against galamsey was neither bumbazed nor reckless. It was the simple truth,” he said.
Director of Communications of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa, has delivered his profound gratitude to the party leadership as his tenure comes to an end.
Yaw Buaben Asamoa will from this day no longer be the party’s Communications Director.
This follows the election of new national executives for the party which happened on Saturday, July 16, 2022 at the Accra Sports Stadium.
By the constitution of the party, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, whose position is by appointment, is to vacate his office.
Speaking on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” programme, he was thankful to the party for allowing him to lead the communication machinery.
According to him, it is an honour to him because, “it seldom happens that although I was a Member of Parliament for Adentan, I would also be called upon to serve in the capacity” of a Communications Director.
Mr. Buaben Asamoa extolled his excellent performance stressing he effectively executed his duties.
Appreciating the party, he emphasized; “I am satisfied that the party gave me this opportunity to serve in this capacity.”
Agric Minister Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has hit back at critics accusing him of being fixated on erecting billboards instead of concentrating on his duties.
According to reports, the billboard of the Minister who is a presidential candidate hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) billboards can be seen nationwide describing him as a “unifier”.
A Governance Lecturer at the Central University, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah recently asked the Minister to stop focusing on his presidential ambition and pay more attention to increasing yield and stopping the high cost of food products.
“There are so many billboards across the country projecting your presidential ambition than your works as an agric minister. The country is in crisis. Prices of farm produce and foodstuff are skyrocketing like never before and instead of relieving Ghanaians with pragmatic solutions, you are spending millions erecting billboards to project your presidential ambition,†he said on Okay FM‘s Ade Akye Abia show.
However, Dr Afriyie Akoto in a one-on-one on Peace FM‘s morning show ‘Kokrokoo‘ said the billboards are being put up by people who love him and that he’s busily working.
“It’s a joke because I’m not the one putting up the billboards. I don’t have time for that; I’m focused on the work in my ministry…it’s laughable and I don’t think if they know the facts they will make such comments.
“…they (billboards) are being done by people who believe in me…I don’t think anyone who hates me will put up such billboards. They have looked at the kind of work I’m doing for the country…” he added.
The new National Executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Tuesday called on the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, at the Jubilee House.
The team was led by the National Chairman, Stephen Ayesu Ntim and the General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong.
They assured the Vice President of their commitment to ensure that the “8” will be broken as they are poised to deliver on their mandate.
“We are resolute in our minds and determined to work assiduously to ensure that the dreaded 8-year cycle is broken. We shall unite the party, bring everyone on board and, in unison, work harder to win the next elections†Chairman Stephen Ntim assured.
On his part, the Vice President reiterated the need for the present and past executives to work together as that is key in making sure the NPP wins power in 2024.
He also assured the National Executives of his commitment to ensure that the 8 is broken.
“As a government, we have put in place measures which will soon yield fruits to help mitigate the sufferings of the people. That, we believe, can best act as the oil needed to break the 8†Dr. Bawumia emphasized.
Present at the meeting were; 1st Vice Chairman- Danquah Smith Buttey, 2nd Vice Chairman-Rita Asobayire, 3rd Vice Chairman-Alhaji Masawudu Osman, National Organizer- Nana Boakye Nana B, National Women Organizer- Kate Gyamfua,Treasurer -Â Dr Charles Dwamena,National Youth Organizer-Salam Mustapha, and National Nasara Coordinator-Aziz Haruna Futah.
Member of Parliament(MP) for Tarkwa-Nsuaem constituency, George Mireku Duker has congratulated the newly elected National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Stephen Ntim.
Stephen Ntim at the end of the contest polled 4,014 votes and his closest challenger Stephen Asamoah Boateng polled 1,010 votes.
Other candidates for the position, George Kwabena Abankwah-Yeboah garnered 294 votes, Gifty Asantewa Ayeh, aka Daavi Ama, got 44 votes. Sammy Crabbe polled 32 votes and Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi had 101 votes while Akwasi Osei-Adjei polled 20 votes.
Contributing to Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” programmme, George Mireku Duker was confident in the leadership qualities of Stephen Ntim but cautioned him not to disappoint the party.
“He (Mr. Ntim) should bring everybody on board,” he said.
He asked the National Chairman to efficiently execute his duties stating, “more than 4,000 delegates have reposed their trust in him”.
Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker has appealed to President Akufo-Addo to find a place in his government for the defeated General Secretary of his party.
John Boadu lost his seat as General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party to Justin Frimpong Koduah during the party’s annual delegates conference held at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday, July 16.
Justin Frimpong Koduah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), grabbed 2,837 votes as John Boadu polled 2,524 out of total valid votes of 5,535.
Other contenders for the position were Iddrisu Musah Superior who polled 104 votes, Ramseyer Agyemang-Prempeh who garnered a paltry 8 votes whiles 50 delegates voted for Frederick Opare-Ansah.
Speaking to host Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM’s morning show “Kokrokoo”, Hon. Mireku Duker applauded the good works of John Boadu for the NPP.
He recounted his hard work and unquestionable service to the party saying,”John Boadu has played his role . . . I commend him for the role he’s played to support this great party“.
Describing John Boadu as a great asset, he asked the President to apparently reward him with an appointment in his government.
“I believe, having served in cabinet, with such an asset; the President will ensure he serves the government in other capacities to help this country. I believe he will not be abandoned but rather his role will be mentioned by the President,” he said.
With a successful National Delegates Conference to elect National Executives, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is the only political party ready for Election 2024 according to National Organiser elect, Nana B.
Nana B speaking in an interview on Kumasi-based Hello FM praised his party for being able to elect officers from polling station level to national; “something the NDC has not been able to do”.
“Among all the political parties in Ghana; the only political party who has been able to organise elections from polling station to National is the NPP. We are the only political party. Infact the NDC are even struggling to start their branch and constituency elections . . . they’re not even done and so if you want the political party which is ready for the 2024 election, it is the New Patriotic Party. That shows a sense of readiness,” he said.
Meanwhile, he has urged members of his party to brace themselves because there’s a lot of work to be done towards winning the 2024 election.
“It is our duty now as a party to put things in order in full preparedness towards election 2024. We have a lot of work to do. Infact the quantum of work to be done is just staring us in the face; it is not hidden,“Â he stated.
The Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has reiterated her commitment to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration in the face of what she describes as a “political witchhunt” from within the party.
Adwoa Safo, also Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months over her absence from her official duties in Parliament.
She and two other MPS have been investigated for absenting themselves from Parliament without permission for more than the stipulated 15 sitting days during the first meeting of the second session of the 8th Parliament.
In a Facebook post congratulating newly-elected executives of the party, the Gender Minister said she had “become the victim of a sustained political witchhunt by certain elements in the NPP and in Parliament to achieve their own parochial goals”.
“This has left me asking myself if this is happening because I am a woman who for just this one time needed some time off to deal with a few personal issues which were too dear to share with the larger publics. In the face of all these, I have questioned why I have had to be treated differently by not enjoying the famous support of our party leadership both in Parliament and at the party level in my most difficult moments these past few months,” she posted.
“As a member of the party, I have served with utmost diligence (both in opposition and in government) and have at all times put the fortunes of my family at the disposal of the party. At no point in time have myself nor my family withheld anything of ours from our great Party, yet today, I am conveniently being called a traitor and all manner of names with several schemes being put to play and employed to oust me from my position as MP and Minister.
“I conclude by reiterating that, in the face of clear political hounding and vendetta by certain elements within the party and parliament against me, I have never wavered in my commitment to the ideals and creed of the New Patriotic Party and the Government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, to whom, I am eternally grateful”.
The Loyal Patriots of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reshuffle the government.
A statement signed by Mr Maxwell Agyei-Nyanor, Secretary; Mr Bernard Okyere Opoku, Chairman and Mr CDK Opooku, Public Relations Officer of the Group and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday said: “If the President can do this, it will reinforce the fact that the reserve bench is truly occupied with qualified players ready to step on the field to perform.”
“Every day in the streets, radio and television, there is an outcry about the President’s inability to crack the whip on the conduct of some of his appointees.
“The public utterances are so bad and hurting and some of us find it strange why the President is stilldefiantly maintaining and keeping some of his appointees in his government. He needs to reshuffle his ministers and other appointees who are sleeping on the job or get some of them out completely,” it said.
The statement said it was a common observation that some of the appointees were becoming complacent and seen to be acting with impunity in some situations.
The Group said the time was right for the introduction of fresh energy and ideas into the various Ministries to help the Party win the 2024 elections.
The statement commended the Government for various social interventions and said internal and external factors were responsible for the economic difficulties the country had been burdened with hence the need to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout.
“COVID-19 is a major economic erosion, which affected every country, especially emerging economies like Ghana and just as we were all breathing cool for a respite, then, came in Russia-Ukraine war. As icing on the cake, this needless war is putting a lot of strain on the world economy and unfortunately, nations such as Ghana, which are not strong enough economically are faced with serious difficulties.
The statement recognised that though the Government was working around the clock to find solutions using both home-grown policies and support from other international agencies such as the IMF, there were other internal factors like exchange rate, citizen’s desire for foreign-made goods and most importantly “non-performance†of some government appointees, who must be sacked.
