It wasn’t entirely money, the nominees lobbied very hard - Mahama Ayariga on appointees’ approval

The Member of Parliament for the Bawku Central constituency in the Upper East Region, Mahama Ayariga has said the approval of the ministerial appointees of president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was not entirely about money as speculated by some Ghanaians.

According to him, he has no evidence monies changed hands for a vote but rather the appointees appealed to the relationship they have with the members of the minority and lobbied very hard to be approved.

He said even though the number who voted for the approval of the nominees shocked him, he is convinced the nominees lobbied well.

“It wasn’t entirely money because I heard people say some members took money from the nominees, but I don’t have evidence that people took money, and so I am careful about saying things like that. But I know that the nominees lobbied very hard and appealed to the relationships that they have with people in the Chamber.

“The numbers that voted to approve the nominees shocked me, but I can tell you that the nominees lobbied very hard, and it is one of the reasons that informed the [NDC] party to issue a statement to the Minority not to approve the nominees because the party found out that the Minority MPs were not finding it easy to resist the lobbying,” citinewroom quoted the MP during an interview with Citi TV

Parliament approves all six nominees, two Supreme Court Justices:

Parliament on Friday, March 24 approved all six ministerial nominees as well as the nominees of the supreme court of President Akufo-Addo after a heated debate, 24 hours prior, and a tense voting process.

Final results declared by Speaker Alban Bagbin showed that all nominees got more votes than the minimum of 138 votes required because out of the 275 eligible voters, there were three absent.

Some Members of Parliament (MPs) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) did not adhere to the decision of the party to vote against the approval of the nominees.

Kobina Tahiru Hammond (MP for Adansi Asokwa) was approved as the Minister of Trade and Industry and Bryan Acheampong (MP for Abetifi) as the Minister of Food and Agriculture.

Other nominees who were approved include Stephen Asamoah Boateng, as Ministry of Chieftaincy; Mohammed Amin Adam, Minister of State (Ministry of Finance), and Osei Bonsu Amoah, Ministry of Local Government.

Stephen Amoah, the Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, was also approved as the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.

The Supreme Court nominees who were approved include George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal, and Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court.

YNA/DA