Appointments Committee approve 22 ministers, reject Oppong Nkrumah, Hawa Koomson

Information-Minister designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and Minister-designate for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mavis Hawa Koomson have been rejected by the minority members on the appointments committee.

The Minister-designate for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has also been rejected by the Minority members citing arrogance on the part of the nominee.

The minority members also accuse Oppong Nkrumah of inciting the Supreme Court against a member of the legal team of the petitioners in the ongoing election petition. The minority members also rejected Hawa Kommson stating that she was unfit for the ministry.

However, Twenty-two ministerial nominees of President Akufo-Addo have been unanimously approved by the Appointments Committee of Parliament, according to Ibrahim Alhassan, EIB’s Parliamentary correspondent.

The committee is also demanding clarification on five others while the three rejected may require majority decision via voting on the floor of Parliament.

The sources say, members of the minority side of the Appointments Committee accused Oppong Nkrumah, as being the one who called for a member of the legal team of the petitioner in the ongoing Election 2020 petition, Dr. Dominic Ayine, to be cited for contempt, after Ayine told the media on 16 February 2021, that the Supreme Court has a predetermined agenda to rule in favour of President Akufo-Addo.

In the case of the Minister for Food and Agriculture-designate, Kwaku Owusu Afriyie Akoto, members of the Minority side of the Appointments Committee accused him of being arrogant when he appeared before the committee and on that basis, they will not approve of his nomination.

The Minority side of the Appointments Committee will formally communicate to the appropriate authorities to indicate the clarifications they need with regard to the remaining five nominations of President Akufo-Addo.

According to Ibrahim Alhassan, the Roads and Highways minister-designate, Kwesi Amoako-Atta. The Minister-designate for Communications and Digitization, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, and the Health Minister-designate are hanging in the balance.

The approval of John Peter Amewu, the former Minister for Energy who supervised the PDS deal and has been nominated by the president to serve as the Minister for Railways Development also on hold.