Upper West Minister’s suspension ‘embarrassing’ – NPP Vice Chair

The Second Vice Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Fredua-Agyeman Ofori Atta has said if he were the Upper West Regional Minister he would feel embarrassed by the proceed on suspension directive handed him by the President.

“The suspension is as embarrassing as a sacking or anything. It is to the person. There is no doubt about it,” he stated Friday on Morning Starr.

Again, he continued, “I am not referring to the Minister per se but if I were suspended I would be embarrassed.”

“So, it has that mark,” he told Morning Starr host Francis Abban.

Sulemana Alhassan was suspended on Thursday with immediate effect after angry workers of NADMO, in the Upper West region criticized the Regional Minister for shielding hooligans who attacked the NADMO Regional Director, instead of allowing the police to arrest them.

Alhassan will remain on suspension “pending the outcome of the investigation into the unfortunate incidents that occurred at the premises of the Upper West Regional office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), in Wa, on Wednesday, 31st January, 2018.”

Commenting on the development, a former deputy minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed described President Akufo-Addo’s directive to the Upper West regional minister to proceed on suspension as “a complete joke.”

“Since when did it dawn on the president to start taking such actions?” he wondered, arguing that the directive was a “complete violation of the Constitution.”

Fredua-Agyeman Ofori Atta, however, disagreed, noting that the President acted appropriately and in tandem with the constitution.

“Anybody who doesn’t understand Article 81 of our Constitution in its clear terms is not speaking the truth… The Regional Minister has the option of resigning. He also has the option of staying in there and proving he did nothing wrong.

“The suspension of the Regional Minister sends a signal to other public officials serving under the Akufo-Addo administration,” he iterated.