The Appointments Committee of Parliament has struck out the name of a Deputy Minister nominee for Education, Gifty Twum-Ampofo from its report due to unresolved issues over her approval.
The house has however approved the nomination of eleven of her colleagues by consensus, based on the recommendation of the Appointments Committee.
The approved nominees in this batch are Deputy Minister-designate for Energy, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, Deputy Minister-designate for Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, Deputy Minister-designate for Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker, Deputy Minister-Designate for Defence, Kofi Amankwaa-Manu.
The rest are Deputy Minister-Designate for Interior, Naana Eyiah Quansah, Deputy Minister-Designate for Transport Hassan Tampuli, Deputy Minister-designate for Finance John Kumah, Deputy Minister-Designate for Transport, Frederick Obeng Adom, Deputy Minister-designate for Roads and Highways Mavis Nkansah Boadu, Deputy Minister-designate for Youth and Sports Evans Opoku Bobbie and Deputy Minister-designate for Sanitation and Water Resources, Issahaku Amidu Chinnia.
This is the second batch of approved nominees after the initial number of eleven nominees and one Minister of state nominee.
Appointments Committee divided over Gifty Twum-Ampofo’s approval to Education Ministry
Members of the Appointments Committee of Parliament are in disagreement over the approval of a Deputy Minister-designate for Education, Gifty Twum-Ampofo.
The stand-off occasioned the postponement of the approval processes for the second batch of the list of deputy ministerial nominees of President Akufo-Addo on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, June 17, 2021.
After the Abuakwa North MP’s vetting on Thursday, June 10, 2021, the Member of Parliament for the Tamale North Constituency, Alhassan Suhuyini, announced his decision to kick against the approval of Gifty Twum-Ampofo.
He said his decision was based on the fact that the nominee did not give a satisfactory response on her alleged bribery of New Patriotic Party delegates ahead of the party’s 2020 parliamentary primary.
“I’m therefore disappointed in the nominee’s lack of candour and what seems to be a conscience that is dead to the threat of bribery and corruption to our democracy,” he said in a public post.
This led to the Speaker adjourning, sitting for the leadership of both caucuses to engage and arrive at an amicable solution.
It is unclear if the Tamale North MP will stick to his guns to trigger a vote by the entire house on this particular nomination or drop his reservations to enable an approval based on consensus.
