Akufo-Addo won’t hesitate to reshuffle his ministers after a year – Ephson

Managing Editor of the Dispatch, Ben Epshon has said that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is the only person to assess whether or not his appointees are performing based on the task he has given to them to perform.

Mr Ephson told Johnnie Hughes on 3FM that the appointees, especially cabinet ministers, will report to the president on the assignment that has been given to them to perform.

After assessing the results, he said, the president will then determine whether or not they have met his expectation.

He added that Mr Akufo-Addo is fully aware that if his appointees fail, the New Patriotic Party Party (NPP) will pay the political price in the next elections hence will not waste time in change non-performing ministers.

Commenting on the list of deputy ministerial nominees sent to Parliament by Mr. Akufo-Addo, Pollster Mr. Ben Ephson said “It is the president who will give you something to do at the cabinet meetings and when you report at cabinet he will be able to ask whether you have done well or not. We the media, analysts, reporters can only do what see facially.

"It is like a football coach, you have a lot of people who train well and you select your starting eleven. If they don’t jell, the consequence is you lose your job. As a president, if your ministers don’t work efficiently,  they disregard certain laid down rules and make you unpopular your party will pay the political price so he is the one in the better position to judge them.”

He added “This list I believe is made up of quite a number of first-time MPs and so a lot of them are not even known.

"If he [Mr Akufo-Addo] thinks that somebody is falling short of his, the president, expectations he will not hesitate to change them. I am sure if he sees that there has been any imbalance concerning regional representations he will not hesitate to reshuffle right after a year.”

Meanwhile, International security analyst, Adam Bonaa has said that a former Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Enam Hadzideh was a bad example of a deputy of minister in President Akufo-Addo’s first administration.

Mr. Bonaa said Pius should have even been sacked by President Akufo-Addo because he misconducted himself.

President Akufo-Addo did not reappoint Mr. Hadzide to serve in his second term after he submitted the list of his deputy ministerial nominees to Parliament for vetting and approval.

Speaking on TV3’s New Day Berla Mundi on Thursday, April 22, Mr. Bonaa said cautioned the nominees to serve diligently if they are approved.

 “I must say someone like the former Deputy Minister Pius, I hope these guys who have been given the privilege to serve will serve us diligently and respect us.

“Pius is one person who made me always tune off your station when he was on your station. Because once he disagrees with you he went ballistic saying all sort of things. Sometimes heckling the host. I am using him as an example to communicate directly to the deputy ministers designate that, you have a country full of intelligent people so they should serve us with respect.

“I think probably the president has been a bit careful about who forms part of his team and I am hoping that these new entrants.

“Someone like Pius should have been reshuffled, quickly or sacked buy unfortunately he kept him. For me, his is one bad example of a minister a deputy minister of state.”