Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr Clement Abass Apaak has attributed greed and disloyalty to the failure of the Minority in parliament to vote against the approval of six ministerial nominees.
Although the National Democratic Congress minority had earlier stated their decision to reject the nominees, all six of the president’s ministerial nominees won more than the required 138 minimum votes when the House conducted a secret balloting on Friday, March 25, 2023.
Reacting to the results of the election in a Facebook post, Dr Apaak said those who betrayed the cause of the party will be exposed with time.
“Approval of Ministers – Most devastating and disappointing outcome. Greed and treachery is our bane. Yet again we have failed to live up to expectations. The traitors will surely be exposed by their collaborators in no time,” he wrote.
Parliament approves all six nominees, two Supreme Court Justices:
Parliament on Friday, March 24 approved all six ministerial nominees 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.
The NDC prior to the vote had directed all members of the minority to reject the nominees on the basis of the size of the government in the face of the country’s current economic hardship.
Below are the final figures for each nominee:
Total eligible 275
Absentees = 3
Total valid votes = 272
Hon KT Hammond, Minister for Trade and Industry
Yes = 154
No = 116
Rejected = 1
Abstention = 1
Bryan Acheampong, Minister for Food and Agriculture
Yes = 167
No = 98
Rejected = 1
Abstention = 3
Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs
Yes = 147
No = 122
Abstention = 3
Mohammed Amin
Yes = 152
No = 117
Rejected = 1
Abstentions = 2
Osei Bonsu Amoah
Yes = 149
No = 120
Abstentions = 2
Stephen Amoah, deputy minister of Trade and Industry
Yes = 146
No = 123
Abstentions = 3
Meanwhile, Parliament also voted on the report of two remaining two Supreme Court justice nominees appointed by Akufo-Addo.
At the end of a vote demanded by the Minority, both nominees were approved by a slight majority. George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal got 139 YES votes against 133 NO votes, whiles Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court got 138 YES and 134 NO votes.
Source: ghanaweb.com
