Month: December 2012

Deputy Majority leader of parliament Rashid Pelpuo says the issues raised by the NPP about the electoral commission’s gazette of president Mahama as president of Ghana, are irrelevant.

He spoke exclusively to Joy News in Parliament House.

On the floor of the house, Wednesday December 19, 2012, the New Patriotic Party raised some issues to a gazette notification from the electoral commission dated 11th December 2012.

The Gazette reads: “ C.I. 80; DECLARATION OF PRESIDENT-ELECT, INSTRUMENT, 2012.

In exercise of the powers conferred on the Electoral Commission under Article 63 (9) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, this Instrument is hereby made.

MR. JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA, the National Democratic Congress Party (NDC) presidential candidate having, in the Presidential election held on the 7th day of December, 2012, pursuant to Article 63 (3) of the Constitution, obtained more than fifty percent of the total number of valid votes cast at the election is hereby declared elected as the President of Ghana at the election of the President.

Given under my hand and seal in Accra this Monday, the 10th day of December,2012”.

It was signed by chairman of the electoral commission DR. KWADWO AFARI-GYAN.

Members of the new patriotic party were however unhappy and said the electoral commissioner erred by omitting December 8th which was also a voting day.

But in an interview with deputy majority leader in parliament, Rasheed Pelpuo, he debunked the NPP’s position.

“My response is that he has not erred. If because of long queues people voted into midnight and others were asked to go and rest until the next day, it does not take away the fact that we voted on the 7th. Dr. Afari-Gyan is also not wrong to sign under his seal because he represents the true picture of who the electoral commission is.” He said.

He also explained why parliament cannot wait 48 hours before swearing in the new parliament.

“Parliament officially ends on the 6th so you cannot swear in a new parliament whilst there is a sitting parliament. When two laws contradict and one is founded on the constitution, it is the constitution that is supreme”. He added.

Meanwhile members of parliament were in a closed door meeting for close to two hours to discuss a review of the Presidents benefits among others.

However Joy News sources say, at the closed door meeting, the MPs took the decision to reject the President’s call for a review of the newly approved salaries for the executive.

This decision is expected to be formally communicated to the President by close of week Friday.

A newly approved increment for the executive which puts the President’s monthly salary at GHC 12,000 and the Vice President’s at GHC 10,500 attracted a lot of public backlash which resulted in a directive from the President in November for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to withhold payments.

The President Mahama also requested parliament to consider a review of the emoluments to align more realistically with the original Prof. Ewurama Addy Committee recommendations.

If confirmed, this would be a firm excercise of the authority of Parliament over what experts said was an executive interference from the President.

Myjoyonline.com

The Deputy Majority Leader Rashid Pelpuo has said he will support the candidature of current First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Doe-Adjaho any day should his name come up as nominee to the high office of speaker of Parliament.

He said, Doe Adjaho has all the qualities and the needed experience to steer the affairs in the August House of Parliament.

Following December 7 general elections, names such as former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ken Dzirasah, NDC stalwart Obed Asamoah and Hon. Doe Adjaho has come up as possible persons to succeed the current Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Joyce Bamford Addo at least for the next four years.

Hon. Rashid Pelpuo adduced Hon. Doe Adjaho’s several years, spending almost 20 years in Parliament and his accomplishment as a lawyer as likely trump card to edge him over the other likely candidates.

“As important as Parliament is to the growth of the country it is important that we have people who have institutional memory to chair proceedings and activities of this important Arm of Government and I am sure Doe Adjaho amongst the speculated persons, best fits that position” he said.

Per the constitutional provision if Hon. Doe Adjaho is elected the speaker he will have to vacate his seat as the Speaker of Parliament is required not to wear any party political colours.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Ms Samia Yaba Nkrumah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Jomoro, who lost her seat in last Friday’s Parliamentary election, has congratulated the MP elect and said she would continue to work for the development of the constituency.

“The elections have ended and the results declared. I wish to congratulate Wing Commander Anaman (Rtd), MP elect for Jomoro, and to confirm my commitment to our democracy and to protecting the unity of the people of Ghana and Jomoro.

“I will work to ensure that peace prevails among us as we are all one people with a common destiny,” Ms Nkrumah said in a statement issued in Accra on Thursday .

She thanked the people of Jomoro, whom she had represented over the last four years, for the opportunity to serve them saying; “Jomoro is my home and it will always be and I will continue to work with our people in diverse ways to continue to make a difference in their lives.”

Ms Nkrumah said she was happy that the people of Jomoro came out in their numbers to vote.

“Yet the massive influx of voters with no affinity to the district and who have no stake in the development of the district was the main factor in determining the outcome of the elections. This is morally unacceptable.

“To organize and transport people just for them to come and vote and leave the constituency cannot be right. As a nation, this development must be a matter of concern to all well-meaning citizens. We must all take responsibility for what goes on around us and not hesitate to stand up for what is right,” she said.

Ms Nkrumah pledged never to abandon the people of Jomoro, adding; “I will pursue all the projects that I initiated including the one million-dollar Indian Government grant to rehabilitate the Nzema Manle Vocational and Technical Training Centre at Bawia”.

The incumbent Member of Parliament for the Ningo-Prampram constituency, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been retained for the sixth time as he pulled 21,178 votes as compared to his nearest contender Mr Sylvester Tetteh of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had 17,122.

Residents of Ningo who for some time now have expressed their displeasure at the little development they have received since 1996 that Mr Mensah became the MP of the constituency, threw stones into the collating centre as well as set some vehicles on fire when it turned out that the incumbent had won the seat again.

Prior to the collating, the residents of Ningo jubilated and poured powder on themselves when the results of the polling stations favoured the NPP candidate.

The CPP candidate, Mr Frederick Marmah Martey, had 429 votes, Casmore Nii Okine Mensah of the PPP got 447 votes while the NDP candidate, Mr Michael Kwetey Tetteh, received no votes.

The total parliamentary votes cast the Ningo-Prampram constituency was 39,839 out of which 663 were rejected.

For the presidential results are NDC-28,490, GCPP-137, NPP-9,681, CPP-161, PNC-100, UFP-41, PPP-100 and JOY-45.

Total valid votes were 38,655 out of which 663 were rejected.

GNA

The incumbent Parliamentary Member of the Wa Central, Alhaji Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, has retained the seat for the National Democratic Congress with 28,149 votes.

He defeated the New Patriotic Party’s Parliamentary Candidate Tahiru Issahaku Moonin who had 22,304 votes. Mr. James Sohimwineye, the Progressive People’s Party Parliamentary Candidate received 3,150 votes.

Mr. Bernard Mornah who contested the election on the ticket of the People’s National Convention scored 6,202 votes and Mr. Callistus Doodaa Tang the National Democratic Party’s Parlimentary Candidate also had 120 votes.

Mr. Ali Osman Adamu, Wa Municipal Director of the Electoral Commission who confirmed the results, announced that 2326 ballot papers were rejected in the parliamentary voting.

On the Presidential Election, the National Democratic Congress came on top with 37,382 votes, followed by the New Patriotic Party with 20,822 votes with the Progress People’s Party registering 829 votes.

The People National Convention scored 424 votes, Great Consolidated People’s Party recording 278 votes, United Front Party 75 votes, Convention People’s Party 74 votes and with an Independent Candidate receiving 63 votes respectively.

Some 2,010 ballot papers were rejected in the presidential voting.

GNA

Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia, has suggested that the Electoral Commission (EC) count and declare the results of votes cast in polling stations where voting has been postponed.

Widespread reports of verification machines breaking down compelled the EC to postpone voting at some centres until “Saturday 8th December, 2012 to give the opportunity to the affected persons to vote.”

But Dr. Opoku Prempeh worries the materials could be tampered with, so for the sake of transparency, he told Joy FM’s Election Headquarters, ballot boxes should be opened in those areas so that the ballots counted and the results declared publicly to hamper attempts at fraud.

Earlier, the MP had vehemently disagreed with suggestions that people should be allowed to vote without verification.

Dr. Raymond Atuguba, a lawyer, had warned that a lot more people could be disenfranchised if the EC insisted on verifying people’s details.

He explained that Article 42 of the Constitution guarantees every eligible voter the right to exercise his or her franchise and it is therefore inappropriate to prevent anyone from voting on the basis that a machine could not verify his or her details if the person’s eligibility has already been proven.

But Dr. Opoku Prempeh stressed that it would be illegal to sidestep CI 71, which mandates that a voter’s identity be verified before he or she gets to vote.

He noted that the law clearly states that if the machines break down and cannot be replaced, voting can be postponed.

He conceded that the incident “is not an unforeseen development,” and appealed that “we should be reflecting on the way forward,” calling on the country as a whole to support the EC.

Myjoyonline.com

Regular power outages experienced by the Mfantsiman Girls’ Senior High School is now over following a donation of a 41,000 Ghana-cedi generating plant by Mr Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, Mfantseman Member of Parliament to the school.

Inaugurating the plant at the school Mr Quansah who is also the Deputy Central Regional Minister, said a request for a stand-by generator for the school was made by Ms Charlotte Addo, the Headmistress during the celebration of the school’s golden jubilee in 2010.

He appealed to the students to take advantage of the generating plant to study hard to improve upon their academic performance “as power will be available to you anytime you will need it for studies.”

“Mfantsiman Girls SHS has set high academic standards which are bound to maintain at all times,” Mr Quansah said.

Ms Addo expressed gratitude to the MP and said a dormitory nearly got burnt when students were studying with candles during power outage and said with the donation of the plant such an incident would not be experienced in the school again.

Vanessla Gbeko, Assistant School Prefect, assured the MP and the school that as the adage goes “to whom much is given, much is expected” they would study hard to improve on the school’s academic performance.

Rev Kwasi Boakye, the Chaplain of the School, dedicated the plant to the Almighty God.

GNA

The Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, Mr. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah says government has fast tracked the development of Ellembelle, having fulfilled 99 per cent of its campaign pledges.

Mr. Buah, the Deputy Minister of Energy, commended the Assembly forfor completing projects the previous government started.

He mentioned a mobile clinic, scholarships to about 400 students to pursue education in various educational institutions and extension of electricity to many communities.

He said a number of classroom blocks have been built by the Assembly as part of measures to ensure access to education.

GNA