I am ready and eager to be Speaker - Prof. Mike Oquaye

Professor Mike Oquaye, Former Deputy Speaker of Parliament has indicated his readiness to be the next Speaker of Parliament if given the nod by the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

He noted that the power to appoint anybody to serve under the next administration rests in the bosom of the President, and that the President-elect was the only one who could appoint somebody as the next Speaker of Parliament. He was speaking to the press after a National Executive Committee meeting of the party in Accra yesterday.

When Prof. Mike Oquaye was asked whether the President-elect dropped names as to who would serve as his ministers, he responded in the negative, adding that the discussion had nothing to do with appointments by the President-elect.

“We came to discuss matters concerning our party. You know we have got victory; we must definitely sit down and see what some of the implications of the elections are. We looked at matters concerning the transition, and new instructions were given to regional chairmen, so that they would coordinate everything concerning the transition in a nice, efficient and peaceful manner, until we take over for our new President,” Prof. Mike Oquaye stated.

However, responding to his name being widely circulated as the next Speaker, and whether or not he would accept, Prof Mike Oquaye, who served as the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament from 2009 to 2013, while he was the Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya Constituency from 2005 to 2013, said: “…of course, if given I will do what I have to do in the name of God.”

Readers may recall a publication in yesterday’s edition of The Chronicle, captioned ‘Nana Names Ministers,’ suggesting some names which were to be presented to the NEC by Nana Addo for vetting.

Amongst those names given by a credible source was Prof Mike Oquaye, who had been tipped for the Speaker position of the 7th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana.

According to the publication, the President-elect had kept the names on the list close to his chest. However, the reporter was, nevertheless, told that the ministers would be coming from the following names: Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Kwamena Duncan and Afenyo Markin from the Central Region; Nana Obiri Boahen, Prof Gyan Baffuor, Kwaku Agyeman Manu representing Brong Ahafo Region; Samuel Atta Akyea, Dan Kwaku Botwe, Boakye Agyarko and Nana Akomea from the Eastern Region.