Former aide to Former President, John Dramani Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, has asserted that the issues relating to the Dome Kwabenya Member of Parliament, Sarah Adwoa Safo, regarding her summons, is more political.
Commenting on why further action has not been taken on her absence and her refusal to appear before the committee, Joyce Mogtari intimated that it has to do with the intention of the government to protect one of their Majority members in Parliament.
“We know when one is absent, its for a good reason or bad reason. She is a Member of Parliament for one of the largest constituencies in Ghana in terms of population and in terms of representation on the voter population. So certainly, it is very difficult for the ruling government.
“I don’t see the correlation between her absence and how we man the Ministry. What has it got to do with that? It is more really to do with securing that one member Majority that they need so badly, it is merely politics.”
Joyce Bawah Mogtari
Also commenting on the issue, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Akosua Manu stated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is not scared to sack any appointee if he finds it necessary to do so.
Speaking on why the President has not sacked the Gender Minister, Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, who has been on leave for over a year, she intimated that it’s not true the minister has not been sacked due to fear. “The President is not afraid to fire any appointee.”
Touching on why the President has not sacked the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, over the Sputnik V saga when he admitted he did not do due diligence before contracting the private office of one Emirati Sheikh, H.H Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum for 3.4 million doses at a unit cost of $19, Akosua Manu replied that it’s because the minster went before a committee of Parliament and he gave his reasons.
Both comments came after the Chairman of the Privileges Committee sent out a summon to Adwoa sarfo to appear on Wednesday, July 6 at 12 noon at the Committee Room in the New Administration Block of Parliament House.
Privileges Committee summons Adwoa Safo again
According to a press release issued by the Parliamentary Service and signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Kate Addo, the Deputy Majority Leader in the Seventh Parliament failed to honor all invitations to appear before the Committee after the Speaker’s directive.
The Privileges Committee noted that the fresh summons is to be published in “all relevant media”. This comes after all attempts to reach Honorable Member by the Committee failed.
The presser indicated that the failed attempts to reach her included an invitation letter to her office and her pigeonhole in Parliament, to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, where she superintended as sector minister, her official email addresses, known social media handles and through her Personal Assistant.
The Committee noted that her fresh summons is in pursuant to Article 103(6) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 205 of the Standing Orders of Parliament. Sarah Adwoa Safo has been given the option to honor the invitation via Zoom, a platform she recently broke her silence on in a media interview.
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