Parliament has approved all six ministerial nominees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, after a heated debate and tense voting process on March 24, 2023.
Final results declared by Speaker Alban Bagbin, showed that all nominees got more votes than the minimum of 137 votes required because out of the 275 eligible voters, there were three absent. Below are the final figures for each nominee: Total eligible 275, Absentees = 3, and 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
Relected = 1
Abstentions = 2
Osei Bonsu Amoah
Yes = 149
No = 120
Abesmtion = 2
Stephen Amoah, deputy minister of Trade and Industry;
Yes = 146
No = 123
Abstentions = 3
Moreover, there was a debate on deciding on whether or not to take the vote on the remaining two Supreme Court justice nominees, appointed by Akufo-Addo. Out of the four that were appointed, two of them were approved, leaving George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal, and Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court.
Approval Of Ministers: It Is A Massive Win!
The Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, hinted that his side had won the vote on the approval of six ministerial nominees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, even as vote counting was ongoing.
His remarks, via Twitter, sought to allay tensions that had built up after voting, as ballots were being sorted and counted. In a series of tweets shared on March 24, the Majority Chief Whip, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri wrote “Relax… It is done!” before following up with another tweet: “It is a massive win!”
NDC MPs Who Supported Approval Of Ministers Must Be Taken Out
However, the Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Mustapha Gbande, indicated the Minority MPs who voted for the approval of the ministerial nominees must be dealt with.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, earlier insisted on having the voting on President Nana Akufo-Addo’s ministerial nominees, done yesterday after the exercise was suspended. The NDC then, asked all its MPs not to support the approval of the nominees.
But after a secret vote, all the nominees were approved, despite the absence of three MPs from the majority side in Parliament. The outcome of Thursday’s vote, indicates several members of the Minority voted for the approval of the ministerial nominees.
In a Facebook post, the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mustapha Gbande said “there is a need to launch an intense investigation, to get names of those who voted against the minority decision. Such MPs must be taken out of Parliament.”
The approval implies that Adansi Asokwa MP, K.T Hammond is now the Minister of Trade and Industry, with the Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, Dr. Stephen Amoah serving as his deputy.
The Member of Parliament for Abetifi, Bryan Acheampong is also the substantive Minister for Food and Agriculture, while Stephen Asamoah Boateng is the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
Mr. Osei Bonsu Amoah, MP for Akuapem South, who was a Deputy Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, is now a Minister of State at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development. Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, the MP for Karaga, and the immediate-past Deputy Minister of Energy, also is now a Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance.
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