According to JoyNews, three of the President?s nominees whose approval was delayed pending further investigations will be confirmed today.
Greater Accra Regional Minister designate Shiekh I.C.Quaye will be approved by consensus when the Appointments Committee presents its report to Parliament this afternoon.
The fate of the other two ministers-designate, Dr Richard Anane For Roads and Transport and Isaac Edumadze for the Central Region will be determined by a secret ballot due the disagreements among members of the committee over whether the allegations against them have been adequately investigated.
The NDC minority believes that the approval of Dr Anane and Mr. Edumadze will be an exercise in futility because all the issues raised against them have not been thoroughly investigated.
John Mahama, the minority spokesperson on communication explained that further inquiry should be done before Dr Anane and Mr. Edumadze get the nod.
?The findings were not conclusive, indeed there were arguments over the mandate of the committee in respect of Dr Anane, now the sub committee?s said its mandate was to find out if $90,000 had been transferred in two trenches and so they sort of technically restricted themselves to that eventhough later information that had come from the woman herself seem to suggest that even more than $90,000 had been transferred?, he said.
He said the committee on a technically decided to report back based on the mandate that has been given them and so there was an argument by the committee that its mandate be clarified to enable them finish their work and subsequently make proper recommendation.
However, he said the majority unfortunately decided that it should be put to a vote and put to the floor of the house.
On Isaac Edumadze?s case Mr. Mahama said the committee mandate was to investigate a ?250 million bribery allegation, and so it could not take the testimonies of witnesses that were brought by a petitioner, MP for Asikuma Odoben Brakwa and so they reported back to the house on that finding.
Asked if the exercise of the Appointment Committee would amount to futility if the minority looses in the voting, he said, ?I think our standing orders and administrative justices system or security agencies should be mandated to investigate and report back to the committee, which I think would be more meaningful?, he said.
On the other hand the Majority NPP disagrees. Abram Osei Aidoo, deputy Majority leaders and chairman of the Appointments Committee said the three ministers are through, saying ?one by consensus, two by majority decision.
He explained that in the case of Shiekh I.C Quaye, the committee unanimously decided to recommend an approval for the Sheikh as minister of state.
On Dr Anane and Isaac Edumadze he said by majority decision they were recommended for approval because parliament did not secure a consensual decision and had to be decided on through a secret ballot.
Mr. Osei Aidoo said the committee had a positive response in its investigations regarding Sheikh I.C Quaye?s certificates.
?We wrote a letter to the Odorgonno Secondary School and we had a positive response that he was a student there for some years gone back and sat for the Cambridge Certificate Examinations those years?, he said.
According to JoyNews, three of the President?s nominees whose approval was delayed pending further investigations will be confirmed today.
Greater Accra Regional Minister designate Shiekh I.C.Quaye will be approved by consensus when the Appointments Committee presents its report to Parliament this afternoon.
The fate of the other two ministers-designate, Dr Richard Anane For Roads and Transport and Isaac Edumadze for the Central Region will be determined by a secret ballot due the disagreements among members of the committee over whether the allegations against them have been adequately investigated.
The NDC minority believes that the approval of Dr Anane and Mr. Edumadze will be an exercise in futility because all the issues raised against them have not been thoroughly investigated.
John Mahama, the minority spokesperson on communication explained that further inquiry should be done before Dr Anane and Mr. Edumadze get the nod.
?The findings were not conclusive, indeed there were arguments over the mandate of the committee in respect of Dr Anane, now the sub committee?s said its mandate was to find out if $90,000 had been transferred in two trenches and so they sort of technically restricted themselves to that eventhough later information that had come from the woman herself seem to suggest that even more than $90,000 had been transferred?, he said.
He said the committee on a technically decided to report back based on the mandate that has been given them and so there was an argument by the committee that its mandate be clarified to enable them finish their work and subsequently make proper recommendation.
However, he said the majority unfortunately decided that it should be put to a vote and put to the floor of the house.
On Isaac Edumadze?s case Mr. Mahama said the committee mandate was to investigate a ?250 million bribery allegation, and so it could not take the testimonies of witnesses that were brought by a petitioner, MP for Asikuma Odoben Brakwa and so they reported back to the house on that finding.
Asked if the exercise of the Appointment Committee would amount to futility if the minority looses in the voting, he said, ?I think our standing orders and administrative justices system or security agencies should be mandated to investigate and report back to the committee, which I think would be more meaningful?, he said.
On the other hand the Majority NPP disagrees. Abram Osei Aidoo, deputy Majority leaders and chairman of the Appointments Committee said the three ministers are through, saying ?one by consensus, two by majority decision.
He explained that in the case of Shiekh I.C Quaye, the committee unanimously decided to recommend an approval for the Sheikh as minister of state.
On Dr Anane and Isaac Edumadze he said by majority decision they were recommended for approval because parliament did not secure a consensual decision and had to be decided on through a secret ballot.
Mr. Osei Aidoo said the committee had a positive response in its investigations regarding Sheikh I.C Quaye?s certificates.
?We wrote a letter to the Odorgonno Secondary School and we had a positive response that he was a student there for some years gone back and sat for the Cambridge Certificate Examinations those years?, he said.
