The Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has formally called on President John Dramani Mahama to initiate the first ministerial reshuffle of his administration, citing the persistent failure of key ministers to appear before the House.
At the heart of his request is the inability of the House to address urgent questions regarding public sector reforms and agricultural productivity – sectors currently under the leadership of ministers who, according to Annoh-Dompreh, have remained conspicuously absent from the chamber.
“These questions are questions advertised in the name of the Minister in Charge of Public Sector Reforms. They have been on the Order Paper for a very long time. We have to take [them] because we will be rising on Friday. Otherwise, it is going to be a problem”
Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Minority Chief Whip and MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri
The Minority’s frustration centers on what they described as a pattern of “reneging on duty,” by high-ranking officials who have repeatedly ignored parliamentary summons.
According to Hon. Annoh-Dompreh, several critical questions directed at the executive have remained stagnant on the Parliamentary Order Paper for an extended period, undermining the legislature’s oversight function.
He specifically pointed to the Minister of State in Charge of Public Sector Reforms, Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, whose absence has stalled discussions on vital state restructuring. With Parliament scheduled to rise on Friday, the Minority Chief Whip warned that the window for accountability is rapidly closing.
The Minority argued that the repeated “advertising” of questions without response suggests a lack of respect for the House’s time and the constituents who seek clarity on these national issues. For Hon. Annoh-Dompreh, the backlog is not merely a procedural delay but a systemic failure of the ministers to prioritize their constitutional obligations to Parliament.
Likability Versus Accountability
The critique extended to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, led by Hon. Eric Opoku.
While Hon. Annoh-Dompreh was careful to distinguish between personal character and professional duty, he maintained that the President’s appointees must be held to a rigorous standard of attendance.
He noted that although the Agriculture Minister had formally written to excuse himself, the failure to delegate a deputy to respond to the House was unacceptable, highlighting the need for institutional continuity even in the absence of a substantive minister.
This distinction between being a “beautiful person” – a term Hon. Annoh-Dompreh used to describe the Minister of Agriculture – and a functional minister serves as the Minority’s primary justification for a reshuffle. The argument was that the administration’s success depends on ministers who are not only competent but also consistently present to defend their policies and answer to the people’s representatives.
Concluding his submission, Hon. Annoh-Dompreh suggested that the President has a wealth of untapped talent within the Majority caucus that could easily replace those who are seemingly unwilling to fulfill their public business.
He specifically mentioned Hon. Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah and Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu as examples of parliamentarians who are “ready” and have “suffered” on the backbench while waiting for an opportunity to serve the state.
“The President must be watching. The first reshuffle must happen. Majority Leader, tell the President the Ministers who are not ready to do public business, the President must reshuffle them”
Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Minority Chief Whip and MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri
As the Mahama administration concludes its first year in office, the pressure from the Minority to prune the cabinet marks a significant test of presidential resolve.
Whether the President will heed the call or maintain his current team into the new year remains a point of intense speculation within the corridors of power.
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